Organizers of Boston’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade are furious after they said the city plans to cut the parade’s route by nearly half.
The city is planning on shortening the route from 3.2 miles to a little over a mile. The parade will still go down Broadway but would end at the water in Farragut Square instead of going up to the Dorchester Heights monument. The Boston Police Department said the move will save around $100,000 in security costs but organizers disagree with the plan.
"This takes a historical significance out of the parade," said parade organizer Tim Duross.
Organizers said they were not given enough notice and the city did not tell much, except for denying part of their permit. Mayor Marty Walsh said things are not finalized yet but after the route was cut last year because of snow, they would like to do that again.
"There was a public safety savings there," said Walsh. "But also, going through the neighborhood, it’s very difficult to keep track of the public safety."
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