Boston celebrates St. Patrick’s Day with one of nation’s largest Irish heritage events

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BOSTON (AP) — A throng of revelers lined the streets of South Boston on Sunday for the city’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade, one of the nation’s largest celebrations of Irish heritage.

The parade drew crowds from across Massachusetts and beyond, with marching bands, floats, veterans’ groups and local organizations making their way through the neighborhood.

Police lined the route as Irish dancers, bagpipers and Revolutionary War reenactors marched past cheering spectators.

Students stood on rooftops while residents leaned over porch railings of South Boston’s triple-decker homes waving and cheering. Along the sidewalks, spectators wearing green beads, shamrock hats and Boston Celtics gear crowded behind barricades, some waving Irish flags as the parade passed.

One college student stood out in a fluffy green robe, while parents pushed toddlers in strollers draped with Irish flags.

This year’s parade followed a slightly different route through South Boston than in past years, part of planning by city officials to manage the large crowds expected for the annual celebration.

The event is a major annual tradition in Boston, a city with deep Irish roots, and often coincides with celebrations of Evacuation Day, which commemorates the departure of British troops from Boston in 1776. Evacuation Day this year falls on Tuesday.

Preparations took weeks, as police, transit officials and emergency crews coordinated safety and transportation plans for the large crowds that packed the neighborhood.