No Parade? No Problem: 1st Annual Lepre-Con Pub Crawl Comes To Hoboken On Saturday
HOBOKEN, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- The city of Hoboken cancelled the annual St. Patrick's Day parade because of drunken rowdiness in recent years.
The move, however, is not enough to stop the celebrations.
The first annual Hoboken Lepre-Con will be held Saturday.
LISTEN: 1010 WINS' Al Jones Reports
Podcast
Click here for more information
It's a day-long pub crawl along Washington Street sponsored by a local hospitality organization.
The event begins at 11 a.m. and will end at 9 p.m.
EXTRA: 3 Best Hoboken Bars
A pre-Lepre-Con kick-off party will be held at Feile Bar and Restaurant at West 33rd Street in Manhattan from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Anyone taking part in the day's festivities is encouraged to dress up as a Leprechaun or other Irish gear. Organizers have also designed special Lepre-Con T-shirts which will be sold at the Scotland Yard Pub.
Lepre-Con organizers are reminding participants to abide by city laws and behave responsibly.
Police will be out in force and said there will be zero tolerance for those caught drinking in public.
Violators face up to a $2,000 dine and possible community service.
The St. Patrick's Day parade committee decided earlier this year to cancel what would have been their 26th annual parade after the city decided to hold the event on a Wednesday instead of the first Saturday in March.
Mayor Dawn Zimmer decided to move the day of the parade saying it was necessary to "reduce the amount of partying that occurs" on a day which traditionally includes heavy drinking.
Zimmer had said the aftermath of the parade has gotten out of control.
"Last year it reached a fever pitch with high levels of property damage, urination on the streets and people's homes, reports of sexual assaults, there were flower pots that were even thrown on our firemen when they responded to a call," Zimmer said.
During last year's parade festivities, police made 34 parade-related arrests and issued 296 citations for urinating in public, carrying open containers of alcohol and other violations.
Will you be attending Lepre-Con? Let us know below...
