The United Irish Societies hosted the 172nd annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in downtown San Francisco on Saturday, March 11, which was a popular event among students at NDB.

The parade is held each year to recognize significant groups in the Bay Area Irish community, such as schools and cultural centers, to celebrate the culture that unites so many citizens in the area. Each group walked with their floats and signs, beginning at the corner of 2nd and Market Street and ending at the Civic Center, where most chose to observe the parade.

The most common mode of transportation among NDB students to San Francisco was the BART train. Along with students from many other Bay Area high schools, groups of teenagers arrived at the Millbrae BART station with plans to board the 10:30 a.m. train to the city. However, as more passengers arrived, they began to board the train without swiping their ticket on their Clipper Card, causing a delay in the movement of the train.

“We were waiting for the train to leave for about an hour after it was supposed to, which was frustrating because everyone should have bought a ticket and used it properly from the beginning,” said senior Samantha Cho.

When the train finally left, it was packed with high school students decked out in green and white. In typical celebratory St. Patrick’s Day fashion, many played music to raise spirits and excitement for the parade.

“The train was one of the most fun parts of the day. After the ticket complications were figured out, it was fun to be with my friends and the BART ride ended up being really convenient since there was a stop right near the parade,” explained senior Anna Keim.

Despite trouble with the train, the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in San Francisco proved to be a favorite way for students to celebrate the holiday this year.