Green scene: Photos and video from St Pat’s in Five Points’ 43rd year rocking Columbia

St. Pat’s in Five Points, the decades-old Columbia festival, took over the neighborhood Saturday with dozens of bands, DJs, vendors and, of course, green beer.

Families carried their children on their shoulders, college students traveled in packs, local music lovers danced and sang along with 24 bands spread across six stages, not including performers inside Five Points businesses. Over 30,000 people were anticipated to attend what organizers call “the biggest one-day St. Patrick’s Day celebration in the Southeast.”

Main stage artists from around the world played songs from a slew of genres. Vendors sold everything from gigantic beef ribs to more typical festival foods, all while some Five Points businesses remained open.

The festival provided a wide variety of activities for all kinds of tastes. Down an alley, festival-goers could listen to DJs mix electronic styles like dub and grime. Near the Five Points Fountain, children drew on the pavement with chalk. Inside perennial Columbia rock club and recent St. Pat’s in Five Points fixture New Brookland Tavern, which moved to the neighborhood in 2023, local bands and DJs performed.

This story was originally published March 17, 2025 at 2:00 PM.