NEWS RELEASE

March 18, 2018

For Immediate Release

City Wraps Up Two Day St Patrick's Day Festival

SAVANNAH, GA (March 18, 2018) — The City of Savannah is tallying the numbers from the 2018 St. Patrick’s Day parade and festival.  The two-day festival ran from 10 a.m. on Friday, March 16 through midnight on Saturday, March 17.

Hundreds of City employees from several departments worked through the weekend including code enforcement, fire, greenscapes, parking services, police, public communication, revenue, sanitation special events, and others.

“Savannah was on display, our people were on display. We did a great job showing Savannah at its best,” said Mayor Eddie DeLoach.  “Our City employees have been working around the clock and I am so proud of the hard work they put in to making this a great festival and keeping everyone safe.”

Parking Services issued 249 parking citations on Friday and Saturday to include:

·        54 parking in wrong direction

·        24 blocking fire hydrant

·        23 taking up more than one space

·        10 parking in handicapped space

·        6 parking on sidewalk

Thirty-eight vehicles were towed along the parade route on Saturday.

The City encouraged parade and festival goers to use alternative forms of transportation to access the downtown area.  Close to 13,000 passengers used Chatham Area Transit shuttles and fixed routes.

Sanitation crews finished removing trash from the parade route and festival area at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday.  Chippewa Square was again filled with litter after the parade.  The City closed the square to the public at 2 p.m. on Saturday to clean up all the debris. 

Code Compliance officers issued 500 warnings for offenses such as wristband violations, hawkers selling past festival hours, open containers, and illegal dumping.  They also issued six citations for urinating in public.

Savannah Police made 29 arrests on Friday and Saturday in the festival and parade area including:

·        7 disorderly conduct

·        2 jumping in the Savannah River

·        1 striking a law enforcement animal (horse)

·        4 underage drinking arrests (Chippewa Square)

The Savannah Police Department’s Alcohol Beverage Compliance Unit also cited 17 businesses for furnishing alcoholic beverages to a person under 21 and cited one business for over serving.