After two years of getting battered by COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns, London bars are gearing up for their first full-scale St. Patrick’s Day celebration in three years.
After two years of getting battered by COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns, London bars are gearing up for their first full-scale St. Patrick’s Day celebration in three years.
The Irish-themed day is one of the biggest parties in London, but the pandemic canceled St. Patrick’s Day festivities in 2020 and public-health restrictions put a damper on last year’s celebration.
With all COVID restrictions lifted – except the mask mandate that expires Monday – green-clad revelers are expected to flood downtown and the neighborhoods around Western University and Fanshawe College on Thursday.
And with forecasters calling for balmy spring weather – the daytime high is expected to hit 17 C – London police say they’ll have beefed-up patrols around the city to keep a lid on rowdy behavior.
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The green beer will flow at Joe Kool’s on Richmond Street., where there will be live music, giveaways and specialty Irish cocktails, said manager Christine Wolff, whose staff are preparing for a busy day and night.
“We’re all excited for it. It’s kind of liberating, in a way,” she said of the return of a traditional St. Patrick’s Day in London. “People are going to be in good spirits.”
St. Patrick’s Day crowds usually come in two waves, the first around noon and another in the evening, Wolff said. “Typically, it’s one of our busiest days of the year.”
Down the street at Molly Bloom’s – one of the busiest watering holes on St. Patrick’s Day – there will be live music and traditional Irish dancers, manager Keith O’Brien said.
But unlike the pre-pandemic days, the Richmond Row pub won’t be serving up breakfast before the beer starts flowing, O’Brien said.
London police launched their annual #DontInviteUs2UrParty social-media campaign on Monday, warning revelers to behave themselves on Thursday and not get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol or drugs.
Police will have a highly visible presence around downtown and student-populated neighborhoods to crack down on public drinking and bylaw offences, spokesperson Const. Sandasha Bough said Tuesday.
“Public safety is our first priority. We are encouraging everyone to enjoy themselves but to do it responsibly,” Bough said.
During St. Patrick’s Day last year, when indoor gatherings were capped at 10 people and bars had strict capacity limits, police and bylaw officials fielded 48 complaints about noise and parties and issued several warnings.