Baton Rouge’s most attended event is not an LSU football game — it’s this weekend’s St. Patrick’s day parade.
According to parade coordinator Grey Hammett, over 130,000 people are expected to be on “The Wearin’ of the Green Parade” route Saturday for the Louisiana style St. Patrick’s Day celebration.
The parade was revitalized in the 80s after news anchor Pat Shingleton did a story on the parade and saw its poor condition. He created the parade which originally ran from City Park Golf Course on Perkins to Zee Zee Gardens.
Now the parade route runs all the way from the intersection of Hundred Oaks and Acadian Thruway to Zee Zee Gardens and hosts 75 floats along with traditional bag pipers and other bands.
Grey Hammett has been involved with the parade for 17 of the 19 years since the revitalization, and serves as parade coordinator.
“We wanted to bring a parade to Baton Rouge that a family could attend,” Hammett said.
According to Hammett the parade is the single largest event this town has. Hammett said there are a tremendous amount of private parties along the parade route.
Though people from all areas of the city come, Hammett said the parade is unique to the South Baton Rouge people who live along the route.
The parade differs from the traditional Irish and operates more like a Louisiana parade thanks to its throws.
“The cross between traditional Irish and traditional Mardi Gras is the secret to the parade’s success,” Hammett said.
But parade goers should not expect the wild style of Mardi Gras.
“It’s a morning parade so people have not had a chance to sit around and drink all day,” Hammett said.
Though the parade is family focused, Hammett said there are still rowdy groups involved and the parade is not as wholesome as it should be.
“I tell [riders] to have a great time, we just don’t want to see it,” Hammett said.
Diana Dixon the public relations chair of the Kappa Delta sorority grew up in the Baton Rouge area and has been attending the parade for as long as she can remember.
“It’s my favorite day of the year,” Dixon said.
Dixon’s sorority has been hosting the Shamrock Project for 21 years. The girls sell jambalaya dinners at the corner of Perkins and Hollydale on the parade route. At five dollars a plate the proceeds benefit Prevent Child Abuse Louisiana.
Dixon said last year the Shamrock Project raised over $24,000.
Dixon said she loves the parade because it brings people of all different age groups together to have a good time.
“You see all ages,” Dixon said. “Everyone is there having so much fun and in such a good mood. It is a lot of fun, but it is not too wild.”
Attendees to the parade can stop at any of the bars along the parade route. Near the overpass Glen’s, Ivar’s and Zee Zee Gardens all have long standing reputations as hangouts for southern Baton Rouge natives.
Branden Bayhi, mass communication freshman, is hoping the parade meets his expectations.
“I hear you go from party to party and get drunk with people you don’t even know,” Bayhi said. “I’m excited.”
The parade has taken on a life of it’s own since the revitalization, and according to Hammett, Baton Rouge has learned that everything stops when the parade comes to town.
“Baton Rouge has to plan around the parade now,” Hammett said. “You don’t host events [that day] because no one is there.”
The parade starts at 10 a.m. Further information and a map of the route can be found at www.paradegroup.com.