ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – Roanoke’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Shamrock Festival is one of downtown’s biggest events of the year. But the bar scene afterward is just as important for downtown businesses.
Downtown Roanoke bars and breweries said Saturday’s St. Patrick’s Day festivities generate some of their highest sales volume all year.
Martin’s owner Jason Martin said the street party format, which the bar does not host on regular weekends, expanded capacity by five to six times. This helps his business hit eight to 10 times more business on parade day than on an average Saturday…