- Float On is at 136½ Church Street, right on the Church Street Marketplace in downtown Burlington, VT — steps from the St. Patrick's Day action on March 17.
- Burlington's big St. Patrick's Day tradition is the SD Ireland Concrete Mixer Parade — a line of cement trucks that loops through downtown, including the Marketplace, in the mid-afternoon. Expect crowds and closed-off streets.
- The one rule that matters most: never drive impaired. Cannabis, alcohol, or both — line up a sober ride or a place to stay *before* the day gets going.
- Public consumption isn't permitted anywhere in Vermont — not on Church Street or the waterfront — so anything you pick up is for private, 21+ use at home.
- Beat the rush: build your order on the [live menu](https://floaton.dispensary.shop) and grab it under your name. Float On is open seven days a week.
St. Patrick's Day lands on a busy downtown for Burlington — green everywhere, packed Church Street pubs, and the city's signature parade rolling through the Marketplace. If you're an adult 21 or over folding cannabis into a low-key March 17, it fits the day fine, as long as you plan it the responsible, Vermont way. Here's a plain guide to the local celebration, how to get home safely, and how to get your Float On stop out of the way before the crowds arrive.
What is the St. Patrick's Day celebration in Burlington?
Burlington's most distinctive St. Patrick's Day tradition isn't marching bands — it's cement trucks. The annual SD Ireland Concrete Mixer Parade sends a fleet of the company's mixer trucks on a route that ends with a short loop through downtown Burlington, including the Church Street Marketplace, in the mid-afternoon on March 17. It's a family-friendly local institution that also raises money for cancer research, and it marks the unofficial start of spring around here.
Beyond the parade, the day plays out the way it does everywhere: the pubs along Church Street fill up, there's Irish music and dancing, and downtown gets loud and green. That energy is exactly why a little planning goes a long way — the streets get busy, parking gets scarce, and a last-minute errand becomes a slog.
How do you get home safely on St. Patrick's Day?
This is the part that outranks everything else: never drive impaired. St. Patrick's Day is one of the heaviest drinking days of the year, and Vermont enforces impaired driving whether the cause is alcohol, cannabis, or a mix of the two. Make your plan while you're still thinking clearly, before the day begins:
- Pick a sober driver, or leave the car home. Decide who's driving — and keep them sober all day — or plan to walk, rideshare, or bus instead.
- Line up a rideshare or taxi early. March 17 is a peak night for rides in Burlington; expect waits and surge pricing late, so arrange the trip home well ahead rather than on a corner of Church Street at closing time.
- Or just stay put. If you're downtown or at a friend's, the simplest safe plan is not to drive at all.
Should you order ahead before St. Patrick's Day?
Yes — it's the easiest win of the day. With the parade drawing crowds and the Marketplace packed, the last thing you want is to fight your way into a busy shop mid-afternoon. Decide what you want a day or two ahead, build your order on the [live menu](https://floaton.dispensary.shop), and the team will set it aside under your name for a quick pickup. New to pickup? Our order-ahead pickup guide walks through the whole flow.
First time at a dispensary at all? What to expect your first time covers a visit start to finish, so a pre-holiday stop feels familiar before you walk in. Either way, bring a valid government-issued photo ID — everyone gets carded at the door, every visit.
Where can you actually use it in Vermont?
This is the Vermont-specific rule worth stating plainly: public consumption isn't permitted anywhere in the state — not on Church Street, not on the waterfront, not while you're watching the parade, and not in a parked car. So anything you pick up is for private, 21+ use at home, not part of the downtown scene. If you're hosting a small get-together instead of heading out, keep it clearly 21+, make it easy for anyone to decline, and — if edibles are around — remember the effect can take two hours or more to arrive, so tell guests plainly and keep labeled edibles away from the snack table. Our beginner's guide to edible dosing covers how to start low and wait.
When is Float On open around St. Patrick's Day?
Float On is open seven days a week. Regular hours are Monday–Wednesday 8:30am–9pm, Thursday 8:30am–10pm, Friday 8:30am–midnight, Saturday 9:00am–midnight, and Sunday 9:00am–9pm. Hours can shift around a busy holiday, so if you're timing a visit tightly on March 17, give the shop a quick call first. The store sits right on the bricks at 136½ Church Street, a short walk from anywhere on the Marketplace — and directly in the middle of the day's downtown crowds, which is one more reason to come early.
What should you keep in mind at checkout — and after?
One detail makes a busy-day stop simple: the price you see on the menu is the final, all-in price — Vermont's cannabis tax is already included — so there's nothing extra to work out at the counter. Everything you buy is lab-tested and licensed, tracked and labeled by the state, and it leaves in a sealed bag.
A couple of Vermont rules to carry through the holiday: what you buy can't legally cross state lines, even to a neighboring state where cannabis is legal — so if you've got friends visiting for the parade, it stays in Vermont. And keep everything in its original child-resistant packaging, stored up and away from kids and pets. Put it together and St. Patrick's Day becomes an easy errand: buy ahead, plan your ride, keep it 21+ and private, and let someone else drive. That's the calm, Vermont-craft way to mark March 17.