Famous Budweiser Clydesdales will grace this year’s St. Pat’s in Five Points
St. Pat’s in Five Points will feature not one but two famous bands of horses.
While the Grammy-nominated rock group Band of Horses will headline the festival’s concert lineup on March 21, the iconic Budweiser Clydesdales will highlight the opening of the festival.
The Five Points Association announced Thursday that the 10-horse Clydesdale hitch will kick off this year’s edition of the festival by walking the streets of Five Points before the annual parade arrives in the village. The horses will only be visible from inside the festival area, not along the parade route outside of Five Points.
The Clydesdales have earned a place in American pop culture since they made their first appearance in 1933 celebrating the repeal of prohibition, according to Budweiser. They have appeared in two presidential inaugural parades, as well as countless television commercials and festivals around the country.
The horses are scheduled to be in Columbia from March 17-22, according to Budweiser’s website.
The annual St. Pat’s in Five Points festival is Saturday, March 21. It begins with 5K, 10K and 1-mile races in the morning, followed by the parade and the opening of the festival gates at 9 a.m.
Concerts are scheduled throughout the day, headlined by Band of Horses along with country singer Rodney Atkins and indie pop group SHAED.
For nearly four decades, St. Pat’s in Five Points has drawn tens of thousands of green-clad revelers to downtown Columbia each spring. It is known for being one of the largest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the Southeast, drawing upward of 40,000 people some years.
See the full concert lineup and find more information, including how to purchase tickets to the festival, at www.stpatscolumbia.com.
This story was originally published February 27, 2020 at 9:25 AM.
