Changes coming to St. Patrick’s Day festivities in Savannah, according to the mayor

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - There will be some changes made to St. Patrick’s Day festivities in the City of Savannah, according to the mayor.

The exact details of those changes have not been released yet.

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said he believes there’s a good opportunity for the community to really look at what they want the St. Patrick’s Day celebration and observation to be, adding over the years it’s morphed into what he called a “drunk fest.”

“And that’s not Savannah,” the mayor said.

Mayor Johnson noted the difference between the more family-oriented parade, and the rest of the festival weekend, with the latter often showcasing behavior that makes families uncomfortable from coming downtown to participate in the festivities.

“I’ll go further and say it’s not a very inclusive experience. Residents don’t want to take part in what’s happening, and I think that’s unfortunate,” Mayor Johnson said.

He said he believes all the community partners in business and tourism involved in the St. Patrick’s Day celebration would agree it could be different and better.

“This year would be a very good year, it falls on a Thursday, so it gives us an opportunity to really experiment with some things. And it helps us also maintain public health and safety,” Mayor Johnson said.

The mayor went on to say this year’s festivities will definitively be different. More details are expected to be released at a news conference Thursday at 10 a.m.

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