The San Francisco Saint Patrick’s Day Parade will be happening this Saturday, March 11th. With the extended tax season, I may be able to catch some of it this year, but it looks like rain. These are past Saint Patrick’s Day Parades in San Francisco. (Thumbnail images)
Civic Center Colleens on Larkin Street near McAllister in 1974. The State Building is in the background. (Vintage photo SF Chronicle / SF Gate)
Market Street at Grant Avenue in 1951: The Korean War was being fought during this time. (SF Chronicle / SF Gate)
Maiden Lane in 1948, my favorite San Francisco St. Patrick’s Day Parade picture:
Saint Patrick driving the snakes away from Market Street at Powell in 1954: (SF Chronicle / SF Gate)
“Oh, Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling!” McAllister Street, looking back toward Larkin in the 1950s: The Asian Art Museum Building, the San Francisco Main Library Building then, is in the background. (San Francisco Public Library Archives)
San Francisco Film Locations Then & Now 
Saint Patrick’s Day is merely an excuse to party in downtown Los Gatos. Years ago, a portion of North Santa Cruz Avenue got blocked off for a big street party. That became too much trouble, so only one of the side streets was blocked off. Afterward, I sometimes find that someone or more than someone vomited into my planter box on the northern corner of Nicholson Avenue at North Santa Cruz Avenue.
Ha! Ha! Well, the planter box culprits probably weren’t Irish, they hold their booze better.
As I say, Saint Patrick’s Day is merely an excuse to party. It is no more relevant to be Irish for the event than it is to be Mexican for Cinco de Mayo.