UPDATE- Editor's Note: The parade has been cancelled.

Editor's Note: According to the State House News Service, the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council, in a statement issued around 3 p.m. Monday, said the St. Patrick's Day parade scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. "is still currently on." The parade organizers said they are "working and communicating with elected officials" and "will rely on the determination of public health officials as to whether outdoor public gatherings in the City of Boston should be curtailed."-

The South Boston St. Patrick’s Day/Evacuation Day Parade began in 1901 as a dual celebration of Irish heritage and military service. Ahead of this Sunday’s parade, the Reporter chatted with Dave Falvey, commander of the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council (AWVC), about what’s in store for this year’s event.

“We’re all excited,” he said. “We try to take a step forward every year. This year, to start, we’ve completely revamped our website [southbostonparade.org] ,which makes it a lot easier for people to get information on the parade and helps improve people’s overall experience.”

Falvey added that this year’s march will include several hallmarks from years past: a visiting US Navy ship docked in the Flynn Cruiseport, an opening ceremony featuring the Consul General of Ireland, and various musical performers, including the Marine Corps band, bagpipers, school marching bands, and Revolutionary War-era fife and drum ensembles. 

But the parade will also feature a few new partnerships, including one between the AWVC and Accessible Racing, a New Hampshire-based nonprofit that provides veterans disabled by spinal cord injury or amputation with assistive technology: specially adapted racecars and gaming wheels that allow them to compete against each other in virtual auto races. A selection of racers— along with a special St. Patrick’s Day themed race car— will participate, and the nonprofit will also host a New England Invitational “Virtual World Adaptive Driving” competition this Friday (March 13) at the West Roxbury campus of VA Boston on Spring Street at the western edge of that community.

Another new addition to the parade this year is Údarás na Gaeltachta, an Irish state organization that is responsible for the economic, social, and cultural development of the Gaeltacht, which comprises the seven Irish-speaking regions of Ireland, with an overall objective to ensure that Irish remains the main communal language of the Gaeltacht and is passed on to future generations. 

A procession representing the organization, which is celebrating its 40th year anniversary, will be led by honorary marshal Sean Mannion, a Galway-born former boxing champion who has called South Boston home for decades. 

Ireland’s Gaeltacht Experience, an interactive event hosted by the organization highlighting Irish heritage, language, song, and dance will be held on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the South Boston branch of the Boston Public Library. 

McCann’s Irish Oatmeal, the official sponsor of the 2020 Southie parade, will help to fuel parade goers with a food truck and sampling station serving hearty, steel-cut oatmeal and an array of toppings that will be located outside TD Bank on West Broadway. 

McCann’s grows its oats in Kildare and Meath counties in Ireland, “where the rich soils, flowing streams, and frequent rainfall create the ideal growing condition for oats.”

“This is the first year the McCann’s brand is participating in the parade and we’re excited to bring a taste of Ireland to attendees,” said Ron Young, senior brand manager of McCann’s Irish Oatmeal, in a press release. “For more than 150 years, the McCann’s brand has been bringing Ireland’s best oats to the US in our iconic steel cans and we’re thrilled to serve our delicious steel-cut Irish oatmeal to parade-goers in Boston.”

McCann’s presence in the parade will feature a themed horse-drawn carriage, as well as an Irish dance troupe from the O'Dwyer School of Irish Dancing.

And, another first: this year the AWVC will host its inaugural parade viewing party at the South Boston Lithuanian Club at 368 West Broadway. The event will run from noon to 4 p.m. and will feature a cash bar, light refreshments, and live Irish music. $35 tickets are available at the door and at southbostonparadefundraiser.eventbrite.com, with all proceeds benefiting the 17 March Foundation and the South Boston Allied War Veteran’s Council.

The chief marshal of this year’s parade is Susan McDonough, a South Boston native who served in the US Army from 1994-1998, and later in the Massachusetts National Guard. She was the first woman in her family to serve, but has a long family military history dating back to the Civil War, when her fourth great-uncle, William Newland, received the Medal of Honor for engagement at Mobile Bay while serving under Admiral Farragut.

This year’s Mayor of Southie — an honorary title given to the community member who raises the most money for the parade — is Christina Andrade, who gathered more than $5,000 for the cause through fundraiser events at L Street Tavern and Rosa Lyons.

While each rendition of the parade doesn’t necessarily have its own theme, Falvey pointed to chief marshal McDonough and her work on behalf of women veterans as a fitting representation of the parade’s spirit, particularly since it is taking place during Women’s History Month.

“Running the parade is so much work. We rely on veterans to run this thing,” he said. “She has been a huge part of that...she’s a big women’s advocate and as a leader and advocate for women’s veterans, she has spent a lot of time championing that cause, and I think we’ll see a lot of women veterans at the forefront of this year’s parade.”