St. Patrick's Day started early for thousands of people in Dallas on Saturday. Dallas Police expected more than 100,000 people to line Greenville Avenue from Blackwell to SMU Blvd.
The 33rd Greenville Avenue St. Patrick’s Day parade almost didn’t happen this year, but Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban came up with the money to make it happen.
Dallas resident Margo Silva said she was appreciative of his support for the event. "He’s great," she said, "I know so many people would have been disappointed if it didn’t happen."
The parade started out with a nod to the Mavericks owner among other sponsors. For two hours the floats made their way down Greenville Ave.
One group of friends at the parade included out-of-towners - they brought a bag of fresh craw fish from Louisana. They woke up at 5am to secure a good spot. "Yes, so worth it. Fun time with friends," said Christy West.
With drinks flowing from the early morning hours, the crowd was in good spirits and thankful that they were able to carry on their tradition for yet another year.
"I wanted to thank Mark Cuban for allowing us to come down here to celebrate St. Patrick’s day," said Mesquite resident Jason Prince. "The greatest owner in sports, I really appreciate that. Cheers to you Mark, cheers to you Mark, thank you Mark!"
