The South Side Irish Parade has been a neighborhood tradition celebrating St. Patrick’s Day since 1979. When the parade was cancelled due to Covid, BAPA created South Side Party Packs to support local businesses that were losing out on important revenue from parade-goers. The Party Packs were extremely popular with businesses and neighbors.
Now that the South Side Irish Parade is again marching down Western Avenue on the Sunday before St. Patrick’s Day, BAPA won’t be bringing back the Parade Party Packs. We’ve gotten several calls from neighbors who are disappointed to hear that BAPA’s popular food and beverage-packed bags will no longer be offered, so we’re encouraging neighbors to shop locally and assemble their own versions of the South Side Irish Parade Party Pack. Here’s how:
BAPA’s Party Packs included enough food, drink, treats, and party-makings for four people, so first decide how many people you’ll be serving and shop accordingly.
Stick to the spirit of the original Party Pack and buy from neighborhood businesses, starting on the Western Avenue parade route. Some of our suggestions:
Drinks
BAPA’s Packs featured crowlers of beer from Open Outcry Brewing Company, 10934 S. Western, and four-packs from Horse Thief Hollow Brewpub, 10426 S. Western. We also offered packaged specialty cocktails from Barney Callaghan’s Pub, 10618 S. Western, that you probably can’t carry out, but you can certainly stop in to raise a glass and say slainte!
For people who preferred alcohol-free beverages, BAPA’s pack included bottles of Green River pop from County Fair, 10800 S. Western, and Irish Tea from South Side Irish Imports, 3446 W. 111th St.
Eats
There’s nothing like biting into a delicious corned beef sandwich on Parade Day! BAPA’s Party Packs included sandwiches from Swanson’s Deli, 2414 W. 103rd St., but we also highly recommend the corned beef sandwiches from Calabria Imports, 1905 W. 103rd St., and the amazing corned beef from County Fair. According to the sign you can also purchase Leprechauns by the pound at County Fair 😉 and don’t forget the cabbage and potatoes!
Special sweets that celebrate St. Patrick’s Day include decorated cookies and Irish soda bread from Beverly Bakery 10528 S. Western, and County Fair – both a big hit in BAPA’s Party Packs!
Fun Stuff
In our neighborhood, St. Patrick’s Day is about fun, family, and heritage. Some of the items BAPA used in party packs or that you may want to add to your shopping list are: Parade Day candles from Beverly Dry Goods, 1810 W. 103rd St.; licensed South Side Irish St. Patrick’s Day Parade merchandise from South Side Irish Imports; St. Patrick’s Day party ware from Haven 1890, 2501 W. 103rd St.; shamrocks from Steuber Florist & Greenhouses, 2654 W. 111th St.; bouquets from The Bloom Bar, 9909 S. Walden Pkwy.; specialty items from Turkey Chicago, 9913 S. Walden Pkwy.; gourmet popcorn from Let’s Get Poppin’, 11758 S. Western; and treats from Sweet Freaks 9927 S. Wood St.
Did we miss your favorite shop? Add them to your list and have a great time shopping – and consuming – your custom created South Side Irish Parade Party Packs.
Here’s a great way to let your guests know where the party is: fly BAPA’s exclusive Love Where You Love Irish flag! Limited number of flags are available; email mjviero@bapa.org.
