JACKSON, MS (Mississippi News Now) -
Saturday will mark a bit of history for Jackson. Thousands of folks will participate in the city's 30th Mal's St. Paddy's Parade. This year, a record crowd is expected to enjoy the festivities and that means good news for the city's revenue.
Before you can enjoy the fun, food and friends at the St. Patrick's Day parade, it takes time to get everything set up. Starting early Friday morning, parade coordinator Charly Abraham and food vendors started prepping in front of Hal and Mal's on Commerce Street.
"We're putting food vendors out right now, in a little while we'll have dumpsters rolling in, fencing coming in so we can fence in the area," Abraham told WLBT News.
In 2011, 65,000 people packed the streets of downtown Jackson for the parade. Marika Cackett, with the Jackson Convention and Visitors Bureau predicts this year's festivities could pull in the largest crowd yet.
"You know it gets bigger every year because in the south we're into tradition and 30 years is a big anniversary, a big celebration and it's going to be huge I would love to see 70,000 people cram into downtown," Cackett told WLBT News.
Cackett said, a huge crowd means, "you're going to have to get here early to get a parking space, park at the convention center, park at the fairgrounds and just walk."
In addition to all the green you'll see at the parade, lots of green, as in money is also going to the city and surrounding areas. It's estimated that last year's parade pulled in at least $6.5 million.
"It's great to have that money come in because it's new money, when you and I go spend money it's just changing hands, but this is new money coming into our economy," said Cackett.
The Mal's St. Paddy's Parade will begin at State Street and Court Street at one on Saturday afternoon. The parade will be followed by an after parade dance party, which will take place in the Hal and Mal's parking lot. All proceeds from the parade benefit the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital.
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