Every March, Baltimore showed up for St. Patrick’s Day in a big way. Through the 1970s, the city’s celebrations filled bars, sidewalks, and parade routes with festive crowds. The Baltimore Sun captured it all on film, and even though the photos are in black and white, there’s no question everyone was wearing green. These images offer a vivid window into how Baltimoreans marked the holiday decade.
The festivities kicked off early in the decade with scenes straight out of a classic Irish pub. Sweeney’s bar was packed with revelers on March 18, 1970, and bartender Susie Cook was right in the middle of it all.
Out on the streets, the spirit was just as lively. By 1973, dancers were taking the celebration public, performing traditional jigs right outside the Pratt in full view of passersby.
The mid-1970s brought even more variety to the celebrations. In Annapolis, the St. Patrick’s Day fun took a competitive turn with one of the most unusual race formats around. Forty runners lined up for the 8th annual Great Annapolis Beer Race, a 100-yard dash where each participant had to carry a tray of beer cups without spilling a drop.
Back in Baltimore, the 1976 parade drew 43 marching units through the downtown streets. Despite a chilly breeze, participants stepped out with energy at Baltimore and Calvert Streets, keeping the crowd’s spirits high.
The 1977 parade had a very different story. Rain forecasts prompted the official cancellation of the parade — only the second time that had happened in 22 years. That didn’t stop city comptroller Hyman A. Pressman. The self-described irrepressible Irishman led his own small but enthusiastic procession down Cathedral Street anyway, refusing to let the weather win.
With no official parade to draw in the crowds, vendors at Baltimore and Calvert Streets found themselves with very few customers to serve that year.
By 1979, the celebrations were in full swing again. At the Gandy Dancer on McHenry Street, the party atmosphere was impossible to miss. Green suds flew as bar-goers toasted the holiday and each other.
Along the parade route, families staked out their curbside spots early. Two young sisters, Mary Kathleen Collins, age 2, and Noreen, age 9, watched the march together, Irish flags in hand.
Hopkins Plaza became a hub of St. Patrick’s Day activity in 1979. Face paint, festivities, and a fierce beer mug race all came together in one spot.
Meanwhile, the parade itself marched on through Cathedral Street, with Irish marching units dipping their flags in salute as they passed the reviewing stand — a moment of tradition captured perfectly on film.
The Beer Mug Race at Hopkins Plaza drew serious competitors. Bernie Keenan, sporting a beard, edged out Casey Cole on his way to taking the top spot — a fitting end to a decade of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations that proved Baltimore never needed much of an excuse to throw a good party.
