New York is feeling really, really green.

The first recorded St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York City was way back in 1762, and was organized by Irish soldiers serving in the British Army. It wasn’t much of a piss-up, and wouldn’t become one for another 100 years or so. But after the potato famine sent the Irish to America, New York became home to one of the largest Irish populations in the world. And as their numbers swelled, the Parade got jammers. Today, the New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade is the city’s largest parade, with an average year’s attendance of around 2 million. The place is rubber.

But this isn’t an average year. This year the parade falls on a Saturday. And to make it even better, the forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the 60’s. The last time that happened, attendance spiked to a record 3 million attendees. Japers, this promises to be quite the hooley!

And, as Irish luck would have it, this year is only the preamble. That’s because in 2013, March 17 will fall on a Sunday. Now, one might think that that would keep folks off the drink, but then one would be an ‘eejit. Since there’s no drinking on Jayzuz’ Day, the only rational thing to do…is move the Parade. To another, much better, day. When March 17 falls on a Sunday, the Parade is moved up, to the previous Saturday! Which means in 2013, New York will be effin’ elephants for the second year in a row.

New York hasn’t seen March 17 fall on a Saturday and a Sunday in consecutive years since 2001/2002. (That’s because Leap Year causes one day of the week to get skipped every four years, and Sunday got skipped in 2008. Diabolical!) But we’re past that now, and everything’s crackers.

Saturday, March 17, 2012. Saturday, March 16, 2013. Bleedin’ deadly!

We’re on the pig’s back, prep the locals and chippers. The Big Apple is about to be biennially bolloxed.