Big Crowd Expected For St. Patrick's Day Parade

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The biggest St. Patrick's Day party in the southwest is on Saturday in Dallas, and more than 100,000 people are expected to be at the annual parade and festival in the Lower Greenville area. Crowds could be even bigger than usual this year, with gorgeous weather in the forecast.

Barricades are already in place and area businesses are ready for a flood of customers.

This marks the 36th year for the Dallas parade, and plans for the festival were unveiled earlier this week. There will still be plenty of bars open, but event organizers listened to feedback and have promised to include some more activities for the entire family this year.

"I really enjoy the whole thing, really, because the crowds are great," said bagpipe player Rafe Aalderink. "It's nice to be able to play for so many people who are happy to be there and who are happy to hear you playing."

The Dallas Mavericks are among the event's sponsors. Proceeds from the parade go toward scholarships for students in the Dallas Independent School District. More than $72,000 in scholarships have been awarded in the last three years.

The parade begins at 11:00 a.m. at the corner of Greenville Avenue and Blackwell Street, and ends at SMU Boulevard.

Parking along the parade route will be at a premium, so those planning to attend might want to ditch the car and use an alternative service like DART or even Uber to get around the area.

And, unless you want to get pinched, be sure to dress in green!