Mar 11, 2008 2:05 pm US/Eastern
Changes Coming For St. Patrick's Day Parade Goers
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
If you plan on celebrating St. Patrick's Day this weekend, there's no better place than the parade downtown.
However, if your celebration includes alcohol, you will have to put down your glass.
Today, Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl announced a plan that keeps boozing indoors to make the event safe and more family friendly.
The city's lax open-container policy is a thing of the past.
The St. Patrick's Day Parade is a major event that draws thousands of people downtown every year.
"We want people safe on Saturday," said Ravenstahl. "We want to make sure the young children… can come and experience the St. Patrick's Day Parade like I did as a young person. It is very important to me. I know it is very important to the parade committee and I want to commend them for their continued effort. "
City Police Chief Nate Harper, St. Patrick's Day chairman James Green joined the mayor and talked about the enhanced safety patrols.
"We will have DUI roving patrols out," said Harper. "They will be throughout the whole city and in the downtown area, South Side, Oakland, Strip District. We will have additional officers out looking for impaired drivers, as well as people walking around with open containers of alcohol. There will be no drinking along the parade route. That's off limits as well."
"We have had people who just completely abused the lax open container policy and it's time we tighten that up," said Green.
They will be tightening up over the restrictions surrounding the reveling along market square.
Usually that is open to the public for 12 hours.
This year, you will still be permitted to party in Market Square but only from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
The parade starts downtown at Mellon Arena and will wind through Center Avenue and end at Commonwealth Place.
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