Five Points Foundation wraps up 36th Annual St. Pat’s in Five Points
March 22, 2018
On Saturday, March 17, 2018, Five Points welcomed approximately 41,000 people to their perennial St. Pat’s in Five Points celebration.
An event breakdown is below:
Attendee Demographics: From online pre-sale and day of credit card purchased tickets, the festival was able to track attendee demographics. From those tickets purchased, 60% were from outside of South Carolina, including 38 states (plus Washington D.C.) and nine different countries.
Get to the Green Road Race: 15K, 10K, 5K and 1-mile Family Fun Run had 2,213 participants. The race started at Maxcy Gregg Park and ended on Devine Street. The race ceremonies were hosted at Public House on Devine Street, where over 250 awards were given.
St. Pat’s Parade: The annual musical mile had 66 entries and despite the rain, had thousands of spectators lining Devine Street to watch. The grand marshal of this year’s parade was Vietnam Veterans Chapter 303: The Jack Van Loan Chapter, in honor of their 2018 retirement from fourteen years of volunteering for the festival. 2018 winners included:
- Best Irish Theme: Ancient Order of the Hibernians
- Best Music: Freeway Music
- Most Creative: Kudzu Queens
- Most Interactive: USO, South Carolina
- Best Overall: Bassett Hound Rescue
Pot O’ Gold Playland: The festival’s free children’s area welcomed families throughout the day in its new location on Pavilion Avenue. This area featured children’s entertainment, carnival rides, balloon twisting, face painting and more.
Stages: 24 bands played on five stages from noon – 7pm. This year’s stage entertainment included several firsts for the festival:
- A student showcase by Columbia Arts Academy, featuring eight students, aged 8 – 18 years old
- Headliner Judah & The Lion used full production to include video walls, lighting walls, and a full lighting rig
- A marriage proposal on one of the main stages, only moments before Judah & The Lion went on
Silent Disco: Back for the third year, the Silent Disco had five local DJs playing from 2pm – 6pm. This area of the festival saw over 2,000 people throughout the afternoon.
Food Courts: The festival’s three food courts and Food Truck Rodeo were home to 18 mostly local food vendors, providing patrons a wide variety of eats.
Vendors: 23 arts & crafts and civic vendors lined Devine Street and Saluda Avenue.
VIP: St. Pat’s Saluda’s VIP Experience offered patrons an elevated festival experience, with an open bar and food and premiere stage viewing. These exclusive 200 tickets sold out weeks before the festival.
The Cube: Our version of the rocket serviced hundreds of people all day long, handing out programs, charging people’s cell phones, providing first aid and complimentary water, and answering festival questions.
Transportation: The festival offered complimentary transportation services to and from the festival. These services include shuttles and the Checker Yellow free cab ride home program.
Clean Up: On Sunday, March 18, festival staff, dozens of volunteers, and the Five Points Clean & Safe Team, worked hard to clean up Five Points, Devine Street, satellite parking shuttle locations, and the surrounding neighborhoods.
Volunteers: 295 general festival volunteers, 180 race volunteers, and 58 recycling volunteers from over 20 local non-profits and charitable organizations from across the Midlands came to help execute another successful year for the festival. Recycling volunteers contributed 236.75 hours, collecting 1.24 tons of recycling, 460 pounds of cardboard, and 14.63 tons of trash. A press conference will be held in the coming weeks to recognize and make donations to these groups for their dedication.
Columbia Police Department: 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 the festival had no major incidents, this year’s preliminary report by the Columbia Police Department reflects five arrests and an overall tame crowd.
Meet & Greet: In conjunction with WCOS, the festival hosted a meet & greet with country music star, Chris Lane, allowing 25 festival attendees the opportunity to get up close and personal with the headliner. In conjunction with Fox 102.3, the festival also hosted a meet & greet with headliner Judah & The Lion for 20 festival attendees.
Sponsors: St. Pat’s in Five Points wouldn’t be possible without generous support from: KW Beverage, Beverage South, Future Scholar, Checker Yellow Cabs, Wells Fargo, Green’s Beverages, Southern Glazers Wine and Spirits, Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina, TD Bank, Island Coastal Lager, Carvana, McCulloch & Schillaci, Gregory Electric, Stadium Suites, The Southern @ 1051, Orange Theory, Free Times, Office Depot, The Inn at USC, Aloft Hotel, Towneplace Suites, The Mobile Attic, The Inn at USC, Aloft Hotel, Athlete’s Arena, Pepsi, the Five Points Association, Experience Columbia SC and the City of Columbia.
