Every year on St Patrick's Day, there's a block party downtown. Don't confuse this with the St Patrick's Day Parade, which is on a random Saturday before St. Patrick's day. If St. Patrick's Day happens to be on a Saturday; it doesn't matter, the parade will be the week before. Because that's how it is in a town where restaurant owners run the committees that make such decisions. They wouldn't want to lose a day by having the parade on the actual holiday.
Previous Year's Celebrations
Every year on St Patrick's day, downtown "Himmarshee Village" transforms into a block party with live music and drinking in the streets. After you've done it a few times it loses a bit of luster, but last year it was on a Saturday, so it was a pretty big deal.
They didn't go for the big stage last year. The "stage" for the band was more like a platform with an umbrella.
Disappointingly, the band was playing dance music rather than irish songs or the type of music you'd want to hear at an irish party.
Dicey's was packed at 10pm, with only a DJ; maybe a band came on later but I was long gone by then. To me, Dicey's isn't the same without a band. The floor was stickier than I can ever remember it. I was literally sticking to the floor as I walked around. They had a projection TV set up in a place where you couldn't really watch it, and the TVs weren't on the NCAA games, so there was no point hanging out there.
The best place to watch the basketball games was ROK:BRGR, which was surprisingly empty considering the volume of people downtown. I guess they need a few more "best burger on the planet" awards to join the multitude of other ones that decorate the walls.
By 11pm it was so crowded that it was time to head back to Las Olas.
After "Celebrating" last week with the parade and at Briny's, it just didn't seem like St Patrick's day. Same deal this year; I partied with the Green People last week. I may just stay home.