Fountain at Forsyth Park officially green

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - The fountain at Forsyth Park is now officially green, kicking off a week of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Savannah.

This is a day of paying tribute to Irish heritage in Savannah.

“I like all the pomp and circumstance, we’ve got bagpipes, music, bands marching,” said Don Hicks of Tybee Island.

A big crowd present to see the water of the Forsyth Park Fountain turn emerald green.

“It’s the thing that gets everybody excited. The public comes out, families come out, kids are running around, the green is around, the azaleas are blooming,” said John Fogarty, general chairman of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee.

Many people return each year.

“This is our 10th or 11th year in a row, except for last year,” said Bob Southwood of Cumming, Georgia.

The tradition even drew in people who hadn’t heard of it before. One visitor to Savannah found the ceremony while walking through the park today.

“It’s really cool. In all honestly, when I planned on coming here, we weren’t even geared toward celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in that way, but it’s really cool to see how invested everyone is and how excited everyone is,” said Josh Watson, visiting from Morgantown, West Virginia.

The winner of WTOC’s St. Patrick’s Day coloring contest got to help green the fountain.

“It was a lot of fun.”

The magic of St. Patrick’s Day is still very much alive. The people present were merely helping turn the water green.

“It’s magic as to how they green it. Is it the leprechauns that come in at night and bring their dye with them… or does it color itself automatically on St. Patrick’s day,” said Bishop Kevin Boland.

A tradition marking a return to larger-scale celebrations in 2022.

The celebration is just a sample of the excitement heading into the big parade on Thursday.

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