The annual St. Patrick's Day celebration in Five Points has grown from a tiny parking lot celebration into the largest one-day festival in South Carolina with 35,000 participants.
The 43rd annual festival in Columbia takes place on March 15. It offers live music, entertainment and family-friendly activities for both locals and visitors.
The Five Points fountain was dyed green for the St. Pats kick-off celebration on Feb. 27, which featured young tap dancers showcasing Irish charm and free prizes to prepare the city for the March 15 celebration.
The festivities begin at 7:30 a.m. with the Get to the Green Road Race, which includes a 5K and 10K race and 1 mile family-fun walk. As the race comes to an end, the energy transfers to the St. Patrick's Parade down Devine Street, making its way into the heart of Five Points, according to the St. Pat's race website.
David Britt, the festival's chair, said there are events for people of all ages. Britt said the festival has become more of a tradition, with both USC students along with older and younger locals attending with their kids.
“Nowadays, it's cool to see multiple generations of people coming back,” Britt said. “A couple years ago, one of my friends was there with his son, and they were both watching Blues Traveler, which is really cool to see two generations hanging out together watching bands at St. Pats.”
Britt said that new activities are added to the festival each year to keep it fresh and improving. He also said this year will have a new mocktail lounge for those who want to stay away from alcohol in addition to an electric alleyway with electronic dance music beside the Bang Back Pinball Lounge.
St. Pats staff members begin working on the following year's celebration the day after the festival ends to keep it fresh, according to Britt. The services and events that need to be improved on are addressed, as is the planning process for each year's celebration.
“The coolest part is having a vision in our heads as a team and knowing what we want to have happen,” Britt said. “Spending all that time producing it and then watching it come to fruition is really rewarding and fun for us.”
Heather McDonald, executive director of the Five Points Association, first experienced St. Pats while attending USC. McDonald said St. Pats has evolved into a "mega community festival," featuring not only entertainment and a parade but also demonstrating the health benefits associated with running in the morning.
“There’s just so many special aspects about the festival,” McDonald said. “The fact that we bring the community together and we also give back to our volunteer organizations that help us out with their volunteers, too.”
Volunteers are an important element in keeping St. Pats running, with up to 800 volunteers each year. Volunteers that sponsor organizations and live musicians all contribute to the event's success, McDonald said.
This year's event will offer The Third Floor, a band originating from the third floor of Capstone at USC. Ryan Pellatt, a fourth-year finance student and lead vocalist, has been following St. Pats since 2022 while making an effort to participate in the event.
The Third Floor will perform a set of new music with a new keyboardist joining the band. Pellatt said their music is indie rock with a blues and soul influence, drawing inspiration from Mt. Joy, Noah Kahan and The Stews.
“There is a space for original music, at least for us who are doing for our jobs as well as our passion,” Pellatt said. “We’ve got an hour of pretty much all originals and probably three to four songs that people haven’t heard from us before.”
Last year's event went smoothly, and Britt said he expects the same will happen once again. Britt said that the goal of St. Pats is to have an enjoyable, safe event for everyone to have fun at, with all of the festivities available.
Tickets are available for purchase on the St. Pats website. Guests can save $5 by purchasing tickets before the event on Saturday, March 15.