Five Points Foundation wraps up 34th Annual St. Pat’s in Five Points

On Saturday, March 19, 2016, Five Points welcomed just under 44,000 people to their perennial St. Pat’s in Five Points celebration.  An event breakdown is below:

• Get to the Green 10K, 5K and 1-mile Family Fun Run had 2,407 participants.  The race started at Maxcy Gregg Park and ended on Devine Street.  The race ceremonies were hosted at the Martin Luther King Park.
• St. Pat’s Parade had 76 floats participate in the annual musical mile down Devine Street.  The grand marshal of this year’s parade was South Carolina Strong, with representatives from many of the first responders to the flood of 2015 on the float.
• The Pot O’ Gold Playland welcomed children and their families throughout the day in Martin Luther King Park to enjoy free family-friendly entertainment, carnival rides, and more.
• 17 bands played on four stages, along with a roaming magician and stilt walker.
• New for 2016, the festival hosted a Silent Disco with three sets of dueling DJs. This new offering saw 1,482 people in attendance.
• The festival’s four food court locations were home to nine mostly local food vendors, providing patrons a wide variety of eats. New for 2016, the festival also included a Food Truck Rodeo, which hosted four regional and artisanal food trucks.
• 21 arts & crafts vendors lined Devine Street and Saluda Avenue, many selling out of their products.
• St. Pat’s Saluda’s VIP Experience sold out weeks before the festival.
• “The Cube” serviced hundreds of people all day long, handing out programs, charging people’s cell phones and answering their festival questions.
• St. Pat’s transportation services, including shuttles and the Checker Yellow free cab ride home program, were successful, providing thousands of patrons complimentary convenient and safe rides.
• On Sunday, March 20, festival staff and dozens of volunteers worked hard to clean up Five Points and the surrounding neighborhoods.
• 445 volunteers, and 49 recycling volunteers from local non-profits and charitable organizations from across the Midlands came to help executive another successful year for the festival.  A press conference will be held in early April to recognize these groups for their dedication.
• The St. Pat’s Planning Committee works closely each year with the Columbia Police Department for months leading up to the event to ensure that public safety is on the forefront. While there were no major incidents to report, this year’s preliminary arrest numbers are:
  • Columbia Police Department – 28
  • South Carolina Law Enforcement Division – 12
  • University of South Carolina Police Department – 3
• In conjunction with WCOS, the festival hosted two meet & greets, allowing 25 festival attendees the opportunity to get up close and personal with their favorite artists.

St. Pat’s in Five Points wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of businesses across the Midlands: KW Beverage, Beverage South, Green’s Beverages, Wells Fargo, Checker Yellow, Southern Wine and Spirits, Whole Foods, Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina, TD Bank, Celebrations, T-Mobile, The Fountain Division of W.P. Law, BB&T, State Farm, Tradeversity, The Jam Room, Graph-itti Inc., City of Columbia, Five Points Association, The State Newspaper, Go Columbia, Free Times, Cola Daily, The Palm, The Dude, WIS, WXRY, 97.5 WCOS, 104.7 WNOK, Fox 102.3, 107.5 The Game, and Magic 98.5.