Mayor Bill de Blasio joined a small group of Irish-Americans to celebrate their pride in a very minimal way today, with a scaled-down Saint Patrick’s Day parade in the early hours of the morning.

“Folks who put so much of their heart and soul into the parade they wanted to make sure there was an unbroken connection to 260 years plus of history,” de Blasio said.

Once again this year, the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting New York city’s traditional festivals.

This spring and summer the city won’t have any full-scale parades.

“It’s conceivable later on in the year, in the fall, maybe, maybe. I’ll certainly think you will see them back next year,” de Blasio added.

Louis Maldonado, who chairs the board of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade, wasn’t surprised by the Mayor’s announcement.

“There was never any doubt, but it shows there is a continuing priority on the public safety, on the public health, and we all agree that’s exactly where we should be,” Maldonado said.

So forget about floats, dancing and crowds.

And add parades to the list of things political candidates cannot do this election year as a way to connect with voters.

“It gives you a very high visibility, because it gives you access to a diverse group of voters in sort of one shot,” said political consultant Ronnie Oliva, CEO of Sykes Global Communications.  

She thinks that less well-funded candidates will be hurt the most, since campaigning has been relegated to zoom for the most part.

“It’s hard to really pick up a person’s personality or their charisma, or who they are with the screen in between. This is gonna create a very harsh challenge for many of the candidates.”

Once full-scale parades are once again allowed in New York, the Mayor says the first one will be one honoring healthcare workers and first responders as a thank you for their work during this pandemic.