The annual South Boston St. Patrick's Day Breakfast will have a new home and a new host this year.
South Boston State Sen. Nick Collins will take over as the host of the venerable holiday tradition March 17, and he's moving the event to the Flynn Cruiseport in the neighborhood's Seaport District.
"Sometimes we take for granted the importance of our port here in Boston and that a port city was the gateway, and still remains the gateway, for many immigrants that came here looking for an opportunity for a better life," Collins told WGBH News.
The venue will also showcase South Boston's past and immigrants' experience throughout history.
"I think it's an opportunity to bring attention about the positive impact on our city, its culture, its economy and how that was really brought about by immigrants," Collins said.
Collins said he expects a crowd of 500 to 600 for the breakfast, which falls on the feast day of Ireland's patron saint.
After former Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry resigned for a private sector job, South Boston was without a senator last year and the breakfast was hosted by Rep. Stephen Lynch and Boston City Councilor Michael Flaherty at the Ironworkers Local 7, Lynch's old union hall. Before that, senators served corn beef at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.
The port was renamed in 2017 after former mayor and U.S. ambassador Raymond Flynn.
