Everybody’s a wee bit Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, and now barrier island residents have yet another reason to celebrate.
Adding to the City of Melbourne’s 29-year tradition of whooping it up on St. Patrick’s Day in a big way with a parade on Old New Haven Avenue and street fest around Meg O’Malley’s Irish Pub in Historic Downtown Melbourne is a brand-new First Annual St. Patrick’s Day street festival this weekend in the Eau Gallie Arts District, centered around The Cottage Irish Pub.
Getting approval for the event was dicey at first. Sarah Hogan, owner and manager of The Cottage Irish Pub, had to find enough police officers to sign up for the security detail to ensure a safe, family-friendly event for all. But with a little luck o’ the Irish, and support from the community, Hogan made it happen.
“Yes, we will be closing the street for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration on Sunday the 17th and will have live Irish music, Irish dancing, pipe bands, corned beef and cabbage,” Hogan said.
“We have music most of the day Saturday, all musicians from our home county, County Mayo in Ireland.”
The weekend will kick off with an honored local tradition, the much-loved parade on Saturday morning, which is one of the three largest St Patrick’s Day parades in Florida. “At 11 a.m. the procession will wind its way eastward down New Haven Avenue from Mustard’s Last Stand to Depot Drive at the railroad tracks. Last year’s parade drew over 15,000 attendees to downtown Melbourne,” said John Fox, spokesman for the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Division, Brevard County Ancient Order of Hibernians parade committee.
The 2018 parade featured 68 participating groups. In addition to parade floats, the event honors law enforcement, firefighters and veterans’ groups from all over Brevard County.
“This year we are adding two new categories: local marching bands and Celtic Dogs,” Fox said. “Don’t miss it. It’s two hours of pure fun and entertainment for the entire family.”
Then the crew at Meg O’Malley’s will crank up the street party on Old New Haven with live entertainment both inside the pub and on two outdoor stages on Vernon Avenue and on Old New Haven Avenue.
