A review: Young Pioneers VIP Viewing Party of the Five Points St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Last Saturday, I attended the VIP Viewing Party hosted by Young Pioneers for the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Five Points South. It was held at 5 Point Public House – a prime viewing spot for the parade. I had a great time. See why.

Cruising through Facebook last week, I came across this event that looked fun and said, “Hey, why not!”. I bought a ticket, and patiently waited for some Saturday fun. The ticket was $50 and, in hindsight, I should’ve just went ahead and bought an annual membership for $75 (which includes free admission to the events). Pro tip for you guys.

The event pages promised all kinds of goodies included with the ticket:

VIP valet parking – I walked from my apartment, so I have no comment on this.

P.S. I learned that I am very out of shape. You forget that there are so many hills when you drive everywhere.

2 drink tickets – Hello, YES. I had a Cork cocktail, and I missed all of the ingredients, but trust me when I say that it was fabulous. After I finished that, I had a Guinness Blonde on tap. Lovely.

Swag bag – Ok, to be honest, they had me at swag bag. There were opportunities to win $100 Ocean gift cards and Sloss Fest tickets. Didn’t win either. Got swag anyway. So, in the end, we were all winners. The bags were fully loaded with shot glasses, parade-watching gear, merch from Five Points restaurants and bars, coupons, music, pens, and bottle openers.

Full meal buffet – Wonderful setup. Roast beef sliders and the green Baileys Chocolate Chip Cheesecake were my personal faves.

Game of Darts – There was a raffle to win a tailgating cooler from Tullamore Dew. Buy a raffle ticket = 1 dart throw. Didn’t win that either. Had fun anyway. Also, I broke a dart with my powerful arm, NBD (but only because I missed the board completely and it smashed into the wall).

VIP view of the parade – option to view from inside, which was amazing because it was cold and rainy outside in the beginning. I ended up going outside anyway to get good videos for Instagram, and it wasn’t bad at all. However, it was nice to have the option to stay warm and dry. My phone died right before my favorite (and probably everyone else’s) part of the parade, which was when the Talladega College Marching Band came by. Literal showstoppers.

Pre-parade entertainment was provided by Marc Dunn, aka The Celtfather, with traditional Celtic and Irish music. Birmingham Mountain Radio was also broadcasting live from inside the event space and giving away concert tickets to benefit the 5 Points Alliance.

In a crowd of young professionals, I overheard and immersed myself in all kinds of conversations across the room, from solar power to newborn children.

I spoke to Jesse Zora, President of Young Pioneers, about the organization. Young Pioneers is a part of REV Birmingham and is dedicated to creating vibrancy throughout Birmingham, and especially keeping our young professionals in Downtown.

Learn more about the Young Pioneers on their website. They explain it in a way much better than I ever could.

Watch the Instagram adventure below:

Verdict? 10/10, would do it again. I’m excited for the Young Pioneers to host next year’s party. Hope to see you there with all your friends in tow.

P.S. bring business cards just in case, you never know when opportunities will arise. These folks are seriously connected and incredibly nice, too.

Join Young Pioneers here. And, right now, memberships are only $50.