Celebrate a Belated St. Patrick's Day with These East End Parades

Everybody’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day,” says former Riverhead Town Supervisor and Jamesport St. Patrick’s Day parade grand marshal Sean Walter, “and by extension, on the Saturday after.” Both forks will be celebrating the East End’s month-long celebration this weekend and no matter which hand you wear your Claddagh ring on, or which way the heart points, you’ll love the East End’s weekend-after-St.-Patrick’s-Day St. Patrick’s Day parades. And remember, celebrate responsibly.

Start your weekend in Hampton Bays on Saturday, March 24 at 11 a.m. at the Hampton Bays Elementary School on Ponquogue Avenue. The 14th Annual Hampton Bays Hibernians Parade will honor Grand Marshal Fergus Scully who will lead the parade to the Hampton Atrium parking lot. Since you never want to go parading on an empty stomach, stop for breakfast first. Dan’s Best of the Best Breakfast winner Hampton Maid (hamptonmaid.com) has been a local favorite since 1959 and isn’t too far away from the action. Dan’s Best of the Best Bakery, Kriegs Bakery (kriegsbakery.com) has some of the best breads and baked goods on Long Island and serves coffee to keep you going. Orlando’s Café (orlandoscafe.weebly.com) is another gem to check out, and it’s right on Main Street in the village!

Pro tip: Leafy greens and bright yellow and orange veggies (like bell peppers) and beets support your liver and pancreas and will reduce the risk of a hangover the next morning. Speaking of which, Buckley’s Inn Between (buckleysinnbetween.com), a Dan’s Best of the Best Bar on the parade route, offers a warm, friendly atmosphere and a “touch of Ireland” in the heart of Hampton Bays—especially on Saturday. If you need to wind down after the hustle and bustle, head to the restaurant with the best water view—Edgewater Restaurant (edgewaterrestaurant.com), located just east of the Shinnecock Canal and offering soothing views of Shinneock Bay and, of course, delicious food. If you’re headed west in need of dinner, you can certainly have your fill at Dan’s Best of the Best Steakhouse, 1 North Steakhouse (1northsteakhouse.com)—which was also voted Best of the Best dessert, just in case you wanted to know.

The penultimate Hamptons parade, presented by the Jamesport East End Emerald Society, begins at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 24 on the corner of North Railroad Avenue and Washington Avenue in Jamesport. The grand marshal, the aforementioned Sean Walter, will lead the parade north to the Jamesport Fire Department’s Manor Road headquarters, rain or shine. “I was so happy to be asked,” Walter said. “They asked me before the election last year. I lost and was so humbled when they said ‘it has nothing to do your with being supervisor.’ I’m looking forward to marching,” he continued. “I was in a lot of parades during my eight years as [Riverhead] Town Supervisor and this may be my grand finale, somewhat bittersweet.” As if a parade isn’t enough fun, the after party—with Grand Marshal Sean Walter—will be held at Jason’s Vineyard at 1785 Main Road in Jamesport.

The final parade—promoted as New York State’s second largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade—is the 56th annual Montauk Friends of Erin St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which will honor Grand Marshal Kathleen Keller and feature emcee Rick White. The parade kicks off Sunday, March 25 at noon from Edgemere Road then turns onto Main Street. The Montauk Chamber of Commerce will start handing out hot soup at 10 a.m. for those who want to guarantee a good spot to watch the festivities.