Savannah St. Patrick’s Day preparations underway: Safety, parking, and parade rules

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Thousands of people are expected to pour into Savannah for St. Patrick’s Day, and city leaders say their top priority is making sure everyone can safely enjoy the celebration.

Security and barricades

City Manager Jay Melder said safety is the primary focus for this year’s event.

“Our number one goal for St. Patrick’s Day is that people are safe,” Melder said.

Law enforcement is stepping up security along the parade route. This year, attendees will notice more pedestrian barriers, water barricades, and engineering barricades in place.

“There will be 120 water barricades - four times as many as we had in last year’s parade - and 2,300 crowd control barricades,” Melder said. “That works out to about 3.4 miles of crowd control barricades.”

Waste and cleanup

Officials are encouraging attendees to “go green” beyond just wearing the color. Last year, crews collected more than 231 tons of trash - the equivalent of about 15 million Solo cups.

“Let’s all do our part to keep it clean and green,” said Quhannah Andrews, Senior Director of Solid Waste.

Parking and towing

The city is urging anyone planning to head downtown to plan ahead, particularly when it comes to parking.

“No parking zones are strictly enforced. Towing begins as early as midnight. Vehicles will be towed at the owner’s expense,” said Faye DiMassimo of Planning and Economic Development.

More than 30 vehicles were towed last year. Officials said they hope to reduce that number this year.

Drunk driving enforcement

Law enforcement said patrols will be ramping up this weekend, with Georgia State Patrol and Savannah Police watching for drunk drivers along the parade route.

Parade route setup rules

No personal property may be set up along the parade route until 5 p.m. Monday, March 16. Anything placed before that time will be confiscated, according to officials.

Ordinance violations and fines

Violating local ordinances can come with a steep price tag. Below is a list of common ordinances and how much someone could be charged for breaking them.