Post-St. Patrick's Day Celebrations Continue on Savannah's River Street

St. Patrick's Day 2011 may be over, but the revelry continued late Friday night at the festival on River Street.

The scene looked like a regular Friday night on River Street around 8:00 p.m., but by 10:30 p.m. the crowd had picked up considerably to a festive, post-St. Patrick's Day Friday night crowd.

The live music at City Market drew a crowd there to do some dancing, eating and drinking as well.

The manager at Pour Larry's said business was non-stop Thursday starting after the parade until 3:00 a.m.

"Definitely better than last year. A lot more people coming through town. They started coming in Monday, and they're still coming into town today," said Jeff Miles, manager at Pour Larry's.

Business at Pour Larry's Friday started out slow but picked up as the day went on.

While City Market was hopping last night, a massive crowd was walking the cobblestones on River Street.

Friday night, there were fewer people, but those who came still enjoyed themselves, spending money on food and drinks.

The Olympia Cafe said business was definitely better this year compared to last year. The city decided to do away with wristbands and gating on River Street, which did present a challenge for businesses.

"It's okay because they've got more money in their pockets, but at the same time it's putting a lot more stress and a lot more work for us because we have to ID everyone that comes in. We don't want to sell to minors. We did a good job selling to adults instead of minors," said Nick Pappas, owner of Olympia Cafe.

Pappas said he thinks the crowds may come back Saturday, but Thursday was certainly their biggest night for sales.

The last day of the festival begins Saturday at 10:00 a.m. and live music continues through midnight. The bars and restaurants close at 3:00 a.m.

Organizers expect hundreds of thousands of people will have celebrated on River Street by the end of the festival.