☘️ All things St. Patrick's Day

Top o’ the morning, Boston!

☘️ Happy St. Paddy’s Day! And Happy Evacuation Day, the Massachusetts holiday when George Washington’s troops forced the British to evacuate Boston. The more you know.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Boston’s going greener

• A warm, wet spring

• RIP, Dunkaccino

Up first...

WEEKEND PLANS

Your guide to the Southie parade

The St. Patrick’s Day parade is back. On Sunday, teams of people dressed in green will descend on Southie for the first full parade since the COVID pandemic began.

Here’s what you need to know:

☘️ What’s the route? The 3.5-mile parade starts at Broadway Station and works its way down West and East Broadway. It turns back on East 4th Street, goes past Thomas Park, and wraps up near Andrew Station.

🚇 How do I get there? Driving is not recommended due to Street closures and crowds, so the MBTA has a guide for different routes you can take. A free shuttle will run between South Station and South Boston between 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. If you’re planning to take the T, the Red Line will run rush-hour service from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. But expect delays of up to 20 minutes because of slow zones. And expect the T to be absolutely packed.

👀 Where should I watch from? Depends on your vibe. If you want to be near the bars and the crowds, go between Broadway Station and L Street, according to the South Boston Allied War Veteran Council, which runs the parade. To avoid the masses, go pretty much anywhere besides Broadway. If you’d rather watch from your couch, the parade will be broadcast on NECN or online on NECN.com and NBC10Boston.com starting at 1 p.m.

🍻 If you’re thinking of drinking, know that Southie liquor stores are required to close at 4 p.m. on parade day, and all bars and restaurants in the area will make a last call at 7 p.m. Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox emphasized in a press conference that public drinking on the route will not be tolerated.

🍹 Not a big beer drinker? Click the link below to see five festive sips around Boston (that aren’t just Guinness).

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🌱 A new green building code might come to Boston. Mayor Wu announced Thursday that she’s looking to adopt an optional state building code to deter the use of fossil fuels in new buildings. The building code doesn’t outright ban the use of fossil fuels, but it adds expensive energy efficiency requirements for developers, like installing solar panels. Boston City Council will have to approve adopting the new code in order for it to go into effect.

☔️ Prep for a warm, wet spring. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration just released its outlook for spring, and warmer than average temps are predicted in the Northeast for April, May, and June. A bit of a wetter spring is expected, too. Translation: get ready for frizzy hair.

💔 Rest in peace, Dunkaccino. The fan favorite, which started gracing menus in the year 2000, has been discontinued, a Dunkin' spokesperson confirmed in a statement to Today.com. Rumors had been swirling that the hot cocoa and coffee combo drink was going away, but this makes it official., The statement says that while the beverage is retired for now, it could always make a comeback. This does not give hope for the future.

🎬 The Boston Strangler movie drops today on Hulu. The film tells the story of Loretta McLaughlin (played by Kiera Knightly) and Jean Cole (Carrie Coon), real-life reporters who discovered the connections between gruesome serial murders around the Boston area in the 1960s. The movie was shot in and around Boston, so see if you can pick out some local spots while you watch.

THINGS TO DO

More festive fun

🤘 Dropkick Murphys are performing three more St. Patrick’s Day concerts, and there are still tickets available for each show. 

🌯 Chow down on Mexican-Irish fusion with the corned beef and cabbage burrito from Anna’s Taqueria. It’s available today only.

☘️ Complete a classic St. Paddy’s Day bar crawl with Barcrawlerz, featuring loads of drink deals and specials (and lots of green food coloring).

ONE LAST THING

Parade personalities

What type of St. Paddy’s Day parade-goer are you?

TikTokers @Narcolepsybetsy and @fentifriedchicken detailed the different vibes you might encounter at the Southie St. Patrick’s Day parade in a TikTok video with over 500,000 views. They include old familiars like “The guy who started drinking at 7 a.m.,” the dude visiting Boston for the first time, and “the girl who’s *not Irish*” (but really, everyone’s Irish for the day).

☘️ Thanks for reading! It was fun filling in today. Have a great weekend. — Katie Cole

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