NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – St. Patrick’s Day celebrations were largely virtual in New York City on Wednesday for the second year in a row.
The day celebrating Irish heritage, normally marked by a large parade up Fifth Avenue and packed pubs and bars, instead included livestreams and scaled-back festivities.
There wasn't the typical pageantry of the parade, but a small group of marchers gathered on Lexington Avenue at 6 a.m. for a scaled down version of the parade to continue the tradition started in 1762.
Among those in attendance was Mayor Bill de Blasio.
"There's something powerful about this tradition. and also people gathering despite the disease, finding a way to keep the tradition alive," de Blasio said, adding that he expects the parade to come back to full strength next year and flood Fifth Avenue in a sea of green.
The small march was followed by a live broadcast of the St. Patrick’s Day Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral celebrated by Cardinal Timothy Dolan.
"It was a beautiful crowd and we had a wonderful Mass, that too, as you know, is a part of the St. Patrick's Day tradition, but look, realistically there is a sense of disappointment. This is the second year in a row we didn't have the parade," Dolan told WCBS 880.
Dolan notes the holiday is symbolic of what the city is going through.
"St. Patrick's Day is at that pivotal point between winter and spring and that's not a bad reflection of where we're at right now," Dolan said. "There's still sadness and sorrow, we're still not back to normal, but yet there's a hope and there's a sense of resilience and excitement about getting back to things."
There will be a virtual parade featuring clips from past parades at 10 a.m. and then an hour-long show featuring musical performances on Facebook at 11 a.m.
Timothy Cardinal Dolan and parade leaders will be interviewed in a Catholic Faith Network broadcast at 5 p.m., while “St. Patrick’s Day: A Celebration For All” will air on WNBC at 7 p.m.
See the full schedule of events here.
It’s the second year in a row that St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the city have been subdued because of the pandemic.
Bars and pubs in the city are still operating at 35% indoor capacity on Wednesday, although capacity will increase to 50% this Friday.
The Irish tri-color and cardboard shamrocks were up at Hurley's Saloon, but this is not just another St. Patrick's Day.
"Typically this room would be standing room only," said John Bateman who was enjoying a plate of corn beef at Hurley's Saloon. "It's difficult but at least it's open now and we can get a breakfast, we can get a pint and that's a plus, friends in Ireland are shut down and they can't even go to a pub."
Being at the pub on St. Patrick's Day had Paul Fischetti feeling hopeful.
"We're happy to get back and start normalcy, and even though it's not normal it's in the right direction," he said, adding that today is his symbol of renewal.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.