Local bars, restaurants, and police prepare for busy St. Patrick’s Day

With no pandemic restrictions in place, bar owners in southwestern Ontario are feeling lucky that this year’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations will be the biggest and best yet.

“We're expecting at least 2,500 people,” said O’Maggio’s Kildare House owner Vito Maggio. “It'll be one of the biggest days of the year!”

Maggio said doors open bright and early with an array of festive food and music both inside and out, encouraging revellers to arrive early.

“Tomorrow we got the tent. We got music all day long, starts at nine o'clock tomorrow morning,” Maggio explained. “Our food is unbelievable. Tomorrow we have corned beef, you know everything that you want on that menu, we have it.”

“This one is going to be a real big one because I think people want to get out. It’s a happy day. You have to come down and celebrate it. Celebrate St. Paddy’s Day. It’s a big day for everybody. It’s a good time, come down. Have a pint, enjoy the music and enjoy the company,” he added.

In the mean time, staff at Mike’s Place in Chatham, Ont., where a trip to Ireland is being given away Friday, are also anticipating large crowds.

Mike’s Place in Chatham, Ont., as seen on March 16, 2023. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)

“People have been signing up to get into that for the last month. Everybody wants a chance of that,” said owner Mike Buckler. “We literally have garbage bags, the large garbage bags, full of receipts signed where they sign the back, but their name and phone number. So it's a fun deal.”

“St. Paddy's day is our busiest day of the year and our funnest day of the year,” Buckler exclaimed, noting homemade Irish stew and green beer are always popular.

Buckler told CTV News, “We double up on all our draft and will go through probably about 20 kegs tomorrow. It's just nuts!”

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is asking St. Patrick’s Day revellers to rely on responsible planning, not luck, to get home safely this weekend.

“We just want party goers and revellers to make safe and responsible decisions while they're out partying on St. Patrick's Day or the weekend,” said Windsor-Essex MADD Community Leader Chaouki Hamka.

“We encourage people to go out have a great time, but do it safe and do it responsibly. First and foremost the most important thing is to make a plan before you start drinking or before you take that that first toke,” said Hamka.

MADD Canada officials said impaired driving continues to be a deadly problem on Canadian roads. Every year, in spite of laws, police efforts, and awareness initiatives, hundreds of Canadians are killed, and thousands are injured, in crashes involving alcohol, cannabis, or other drugs.

This St. Patrick’s Day, MADD Canada is urging Canadians to:

• Never drive impaired. Instead, call an Uber or a cab, take public transit, arrange a designated driver, or call a sober friend or family member;
• Never ride with a driver who is impaired;
• Call 911 to report suspected impaired drivers.

“We know during the pandemic that there was a rise in impaired driving. It's a stupid thing to do. It's reckless, and it's very irresponsible,” added Hamka.

Windsor police said their traffic enforcement unit will be out around the city of Windsor Friday conducting RIDE programs and on the lookout for anyone who they suspect may be driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

“You could always find a ride. There's always an alternative safe way to get from point A to point B for your festivities,” said Hamka.