2018 St. Patrick's Day Parade

The annual San Francisco St. Patrick's Day Parade took place on the actual holiday last Saturday, and it was the usual fun, casual affair.

Unlike the annual Gay Pride Parade where spectators and marchers are fenced off from each other, at the St. Patrick's Day Parade you can cross the street or join the procession wherever you want except for one stretch of Polk Street in front of City Hall.

The biggest negative is the horde of suburban underage drinkers starting their public party early and hard.

There were huge contingents of SF police and fire departments marching, along with the Duggan Welch Family mortuary float...

...and Irish wolfhounds...

...led by a guy who looked like a human wolfhound.

There were a few political gestures, including this float from the Irish Immigration Pastoral Center that proclaimed, "Immigrants building communities - not walls."

You do not have to be Irish to participate in the parade, as evidenced by the predominantly Asian Falun Gong marching band with weird uniforms.

Still, there is something almost nostalgic about seeing pale-skinned young creatures Irish Dancing down Market Street.