Even before the pandemic, a bar that is synonymous with St. Patrick’s Day in New Orleans was on the brink of disappearing, and its block party for the holiday had already wavered.
But now, one of the city’s longest-running annual street parties is set to make its first full-fledged comeback in years.
The hub is Parasol’s, a corner joint etched into Irish Channel history and carrying a long St. Patrick’s Day tradition. In more recent years, it’s been joined by Tracey’s located one block away.
The two bars each host a pair of parties: first on Saturday when the Irish Channel St. Patrick’s Day parade rolls, and again on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day proper, for a block party that stretches between them.
If all goes smoothly, it could be another sign of New Orleans social life getting back to its old rhythms. Parasol’s closed in 2019, but new owners stepped in, guided it through the turmoil of recent times and are primed for a return to form this season.
Still, this year’s St. Patrick’s Day remains far from normal.
In the French Quarter, the Molly’s at Market and Jim Monaghan’s Parade is on hiatus again this year. So is the annual block party at Finn McCool’s pub in Mid-City. In both cases organizers have concerns over the feasibility of a proper police detail amid all the manpower problems and changes to Carnival parades this year.
Block parties and parades might seem like small beer compared to the other problems our community faces. But there’s no doubt the festive transformation of public spaces contributes to the character of the city, one of the things that makes it so compelling beyond its problems.
You could say the same thing for our neighborhood bars that host these things, which year-round give a lens on neighborhood life, history, shared culture.
That’s something worth raising a glass for, no matter what color of the beer in it.
