COLUMBIA, S.C. — The countdown for this year's St. Patrick's Day festival is underway, and organizers say it may top anything they've done before.
"We learned a lot last year, and I think we will be even bigger and better this year," said David Britt, chair of the St. Patrick's Day Five Points Festival.
This will be Britt's second year as festival chair, and he said they learned last year that they needed to be ready for a lot more people to show up.
"We learned we needed to organize some things more than we thought. The problem was we were expecting the numbers we had the year before, which was after COVID, and we didn't anticipate the growth, and we grew about 30% last year," Britt said.
This year's festival attendees can expect some of the same things in terms of music, food, and drink as in years past. But new things to look for include a mocktail lounge and refillable water bottle stations.
"We are allowing people to bring in empty water bottles. We are going to have water stations throughout the festival. So, with it being 76 and sunny, we want everybody to stay hydrated. So not only are we able to reduce our waste footprint, but we are able to provide free water for everybody," Britt said.
Upon entry, there are a couple of other things festival-goers need to keep in mind, according to Britt.
"They need clear bags, and there is no re-entry," he said.
In terms of parking, there will be plenty at the state fairgrounds.
"One of the big things we like to push is we have our satellite parking at the SC state fairgrounds, and it's free. It starts at 6 in the morning, and shuttles run all day long until 8 p.m.," Britt said.
Security has also been a work in progress, and this year, according to City of Columbia Special Events Coordinator Harold Reaves, the festival organization is certain it is ready to take on whatever the day brings.
"We have partnered with our local law enforcement agencies around the Columbia area to make sure we have a good presence there. We are going to have traffic control, officers manning barricades, providing security not only in the festival but at the gates and around the festival area," Reaves said.
According to Britt, funding from the festival will go to various nonprofits that help with volunteer work during the festival. "This year, we have 800 volunteers, so nonprofits from the region give us volunteer labor, and in turn, we make large donations to their charities. Last year, we gave $55,000 to charities, and I believe we will be able to give more this year."
A kickoff to St Patrick's Day at Five Points will happen Thursday night, starting at 6 p.m. and running until 8 p.m. at the main fountain plaza in Five Points.
Other things to keep in mind include that the festival is cashless, so only bring cards, and if you want to bring a water bottle, it must be empty upon arrival.