Erie Bars Prepare for St. Patrick's Day Crowds - WICU12/WSEE Erie, PA News, Sports, Weather and Events

Erie Bars Prepare for St. Patrick's Day Crowds

Erie bars will be counting on the luck of the Irish to make it through their busiest weekend of the year.

Cold temperatures will keep more people indoors to celebrate.

"You definitely get a bigger crowd," said Plymouth bar manager Nichole Grucza "It takes it to the next level of being insanely busy."

"This is our biggest weekend," said Aaron Bisbee, a manager at the Tap House on State Street. "We're packed open to close we've got hundreds of people coming in and out."

For the truly dedicated Saint Patrick's day celebrators, a few bars downtown, including the Tap House and Molly Brannigan's, are starting the party as early as 7:00 a.m.

"We're gonna be ready to rock," said Bisbee, "we've got an Irish buffet set up, it's gonna be 7:00 to 10:00 a.m...  it's all you can eat." It will include Irish favorites like "rashers" and black and white pudding.

"You couldn't celebrate this in just a couple of hours, it's gotta be all day," said Michael Oconnor, managing partner at Molly Brannigan's.

You also couldn't plan it in just a couple of hours, or even weeks. For Molly Brannigans, this weekend is months in the making.

"We've been preparing for about three months now," said Oconnor, from lining up entertainment to ordering all the beer that they go through.

The crowds may be unpredictable, but there's one thing you can count on when you head to the bars: plenty of Saint Patrick's Day traditions on tap at every location.

"There will be green beer," assures Bisbee.

"We always do green beer, and we have the corned beef and cabbage," said Grucza. "We always have the bagpipers come in, too."

And for a more family oriented Saint Patrick's Day celebration, make sure you get a spot at the parade.

It starts at 2:00 p.m. at the corner of State and 11th Street, and ends at Saint Patrick's Church.