Tens of thousands of people packed Five Points for a day of good music, green beer and tasty food under a beautiful sky. It was an excellent day to make new friends, spend money with local businesses and reignite relationships of old.
With the exception of a few interesting encounters we saw in Five Points, it was an overwhelming positive for the city. A festival like this is something Columbia should try to stage more often.
The economic impact for the city and its businesses must be huge.
More than 25,000 people showed up, and there were serpentine lines at the entrance of every bar and restaurant in the hospitality district. Many folks came from out of town for the festival and stayed in local hotel rooms. Occupancy rates in March aren't necessarily high. They were undoubtedly higher this weekend.
More than anything, the festival brings Columbia a distinctive feel. It's something this community does well, something it can take immeasurable pride in.
So what if we capitalized on this more often?
Sure, every festival can't have the feel of St. Patrick's in Five Points.
But people love to spend time together. People love good music. People love to drink.
And people love Five Points.
We fully commend the Five Points Association and the city for their dedicated work bringing this festival together. We know it takes thousands of hours of work.
It's too bad every Saturday can't be St. Pat's in Five Points. On second thought, maybe the city-wide headache today wouldn't feel so great every week.