SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — In less than two weeks, thousands of travelers will set their sights on the Hostess City for St. Patrick’s day.

This post-COVID celebration will look and feel a little different compared to years past. Highlighted by expanding the to-go cup zone for one day, Thursday, March 17. 

That means for 24 hours only, you’ll be able to bring your to-go cups anywhere from River Street, to Victory Drive and all the way out to Truman Parkway.

“Expanding that to-go cup zone allows the opportunity, like the mayor said, for Starland and other areas to host their own types of activities,” said Susan Broker, Sr. Director of the Office of Special Events, Film & Tourism. “So really kind of spread the love, spread the wealth, spread the fun of St. Patrick’s Day.”

With the expanded to-go cup zone comes expanded resources from both Savannah Police Department (SPD) and Savannah fire.  With a variety of patrol means expected from horseback and Segways, to bicycles and foot patrol.

“We want to make sure that we don’t have an underage drinking issue so our alcohol compliance unit will be out, will be checking on businesses and then our officers will also be checking to make sure the proper people who should have alcohol have it, and that they’re staying within the zones,” explained Maj. Robert Gavin of SPD.

Following Thursday’s specially expanded to-go cup zone, SPD will be cracking down on open containers and other alcohol-related policies for the remainder of the weekend.

In many cases, following a zero-tolerance approach.

“The fact of the matter is, we’re not having a festival. Normally, city council would designate festival days that, those would be days where we would sell wristbands for entertainment and alcohol sales on the plaza, but we’re not having any of that so it didn’t make sense to expand a festival type feel beyond St. Patrick’s day itself,” explained Broker.

On Friday, March 11, the greening of the Forsyth Park Fountain will officially kick off the week of festivities.