Crowds gather in Savannah for annual St. Patrick’s Day parade, festivities

Savannah marks St. Patrick’s Day

SAVANNAH, Ga. — Crowds gathered along the parade route Wednesday morning as Savannah prepared for its 186th annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

The city’s St. Patrick’s Day festivities attract hundreds of thousands of people, the biggest tourist event of the year in the city of about 150,000.

The celebration was started in 1824 by Savannah’s early wave of Irish immigrants.

Among the celebrants were three Grayson University students from Lamoni, Iowa, on spring break. They were up early and grabbed prime spots along the parade route.

Taking advantage of the gathering crowds, Girl Scouts showed up at Savannah squares at 8:15 a.m. with a shopping cart full of cookies for sale.