My favorite holiday has finally arrived: St. Patrick’s Day! While the Thames was not dyed green (sad face), London did host a spectacular festival on Trafalgar Square. Apparently it has only been going on for the past couple of years, which I found surprising seeing as how many people came out for it.
The day began at noon with a parade around the square. Parades in England, as far as I’ve been able to tell, are much less over the top than in the States. Unfortunately, to my disappointment, I didn’t make it to the square in time to see the parade for myself. I was, however, able to participate in the St. Patty’s Day activities that followed.
Trafalgar was completely transformed. A concert stage was set up that featured various Irish bands and performances throughout the day. Riverdance, was, of course, a major showcased. There were so many people in the square that the only defining characteristic was the central fountain; if I had never been there before, I probably wouldn’t even have recognized it.
The adjacent street was closed off, and featured a variety of food vendors. But where a festival in the states features food from all over, the Ithaca Festival, for example, these vendors were quintessentially British. I’m taking pasty and fish and chips stands. It was definitely telling, but I did miss the ability to be able to sample food from all over the globe. But then, it was also St. Patrick’s Day – the fact that I didn’t eat corned beef and cabbage was a travesty (letting the tradition down, I know. Sorry Mom!).
While it was no rager in Dublin or Boston, and much tamer than something at SLU (weird, I know), it was a fun and unique St. Patty’s Day spent with friends. In reality, it was great to just have a day out together as a group; it’s hard for us to all get together in one place very often. Plus, who doesn’t love singing “Galway Girl” at the top of their lungs?
