Eager paradegoers had an early morning wake up call for the on St. Patrick’s Day.

In Lafayette Square, the annual land grab began early–it’s a favorite tradition where families hit the squares at 6:00 a.m. to claim their spot to get the best view of the parade.

“My friends and I got the duty to set up this morning while all the girls are getting breakfast ready and everything,” said Savannah resident Alex Lowry. “So we bit the bullet and came out here around 4:30 a.m.”

It’s a mad dash to fight for a lucky spot on the green.

“It’s like all of a sudden when somebody yells, it’s like everybody from all four corners–whoosh–just like that!” explained Betty Hamilton Furlong of Savannah.

And just like that, the Irish-for-a-day clans rush into squares around the city to stake their claim for the best view of the St. Patrick’s Day parade. 

“What was that like for you when they said you have the all clear to run out?” News 3 asked.

“We had fun, we didn’t run, but we had fun watching everybody else run,” Lowry said.

The groups grabbed their tents, tables, coolers and chairs to mark their territories along the block.

Some who have been doing it for years say it has nothing to do with luck — just strategy.

“One runs from this side and the other one runs from this side and then we have our crime scene tape and then we mark off our little square,” Hamilton Furlong explained.

She says it’s a family tradition that goes back generations.

“My uncles would put us up on their shoulders and we would watch the parade go by,” Hamilton Furlong said.

She added that the square is a place to make memories, but it wouldn’t mean anything without her competitors–turned friends–to share it with.

“The camaraderie, I think that’s the main thing,” Hamilton Furlong said. “And everybody in their green.”