INDIANAPOLIS - As Indy prepares to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, Indianapolis Metro Police are reminding Hoosiers to play it safe during parties and parades.

The Greening of the Canal will take place on Thursday ahead of a parade, the ShamRockin' the Circle festival and the Shamrock Run and Walk scheduled for this weekend. 

All of these events will be held in downtown Indianapolis and IMPD Deputy Chief Mike Bates with the Division of Homeland Security said officers are gearing up to handle the large crowds.

"We'll have a large contingency of officers in the downtown area obviously to accommodate the large events that are going on, but also to manage the crowds," Bates said.

For a full list of St. Patricks' Day events, visit http://www.indydt.com/stpats.cfm