Dig out your green apparel from the bottom of your closet, because St. Patrick’s Day is almost here! March 13 is getting closer and closer, and with the upcoming holiday comes tons of festivities for families and friends to enjoy. Obviously, many parades will be cancelled this year, but there’s still plenty of activities.

A common St. Patty’s Day tradition for Cottleville residents is the annual Shamrock Run and Parade. Sadly, the parade and run were cancelled this year due to COVID, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways to celebrate. A lot of local pubs and grills are having St. Patrick’s Day specials, Including Shamrocks Pub & Grill and Bemo’s.

“My family loves going to the pubs with St. Patrick’s Day deals because all the people are super nice and fun and it’s a great way to hang out with my family. Plus, we get to celebrate our Irish roots,” junior Maggie Howard said.

Perhaps the biggest event near us is the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade and Run in Saint Louis. The parade as a whole is online this year due to the pandemic, but the run is hosting both a virtual and in person option. The in person event has sold out, but there is still registration open for the virtual race for any runners who want to participate in a fun community activity.

Another fun and safe community activity to look into is going to a live band performance. There will be plenty of pubs with live music performances all over the city! Along with that, some bands have rented out areas in order to host a small, socially distanced event for families of all ages to enjoy.

“My family is pretty big with live music, so I’m really glad that we can see live music like this still even with everything going on,” junior Taytum Scarborough said.

However you choose to spend your Saint Patrick’s Day this year, make sure to wear some green on March 13. Otherwise, you might feel some pinches anywhere you go!