Tag Archives: st. patrick’s day

C’MON AND GET LUCKY – MARCH 17

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Celebrate at the NYC Parade or grab a St. Patty’s Day lunch. A former Congressman also in town, plus a hilarious new show hitting B’way.

BONJOUR, MY LOVE! – MARCH 13-15

Celebrate St. Patty’s Day early, catch a new B’way show, or indulge in a sweet foodie event (or 2)! Happy Weekend, New Yorkers.

1. Dallas’ St. Patty’s Day Parade is like Mardi Gras March 13

Picture 8Now in its 31st year, the Greenville Avenue St. Patrick’s Day Parade is so large and so crazy that it’s billed as “Dallas’ version of Mardi Gras.” And with a comparison like that, you know it has to be huge: celebrities, thousands of participants and lots of surprises.

With 100,000 people expected in attendance, over 1,500 people will march down the two-mile route with grand floats, outrageous costumes and tons of party spirit. Every year celebrity judges decide what float and what group gets the honor of awards like “Best of the Best” and “Most Irish Animal.”

After the parade, the fun doesn’t stop, as the official after-party begins at the Granada Theater and lasts all night long.

1. St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival March 13

Picture 19What better way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day than to spend it at an exciting parade and festival? This year marks the 158th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in San Francisco, which draws huge attendees from all different demographics and ethnicities. With historic ties to the city, this is the parade that you must see if you are in the area, with more than 5,000 participants from all over the country.

After the parade, enjoy the events at the Festival, including live performances and entertainment, arts and crafts exhibitors, food and beverage concessions, children’s rides and inflatables, cultural displays, a petting zoo and pony rides, and a number of non-profit booths representing the Irish community. Many of these events showcase Irish culture and history, so everyone can learn a thing or two.

1. Atlanta’s Awesome St. Patrick’s Day Parade March 13

Picture 10There’s not better way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Atlanta than attending a parade, especially when that parade will be the largest and best attended St. Patrick’s Parade & Festival since the first was held is 1858. The 2010 Atlanta St. Patrick’s Parade will be comprised of over 200 elements, including clowns, military units, bagpipers & drum corps, Irish dancers, high tech firefighting equipment, police units, drill teams, dogs, horses, antique cars, dignitaries from Ireland and local government leaders. Not to mention the thousands of fresh faced on lookers who are sure to be lining the streets.

After a day of events throughout the city the parade ends at Fabulous Underground Atlanta with vendors, food and free entertainment, which should result in plenty of music, dancing and drinking.

1. St. Patrick’s Day Parade Boston Style March 14

Picture 29It’s hard to find a city richer in Irish heritage than Boston, which is why it’s a great place to spend St. Patrick’s Day. To kick it off join the estimated 600,000 people expected to turn out for this year’s 109th St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The parade starts at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 14. This three-hour celebration will feature floats, dozens of local marching bands, and pipe bands from Ireland and across the United States. The groups will assemble at the Broadway MBTA station and then march their way through the city finishing in Andrew Square.

A little insider tip, the best place for viewing the parade is to head out early and stake out some nice turf along Broadway.

2. Everyone’s Irish at St. Patty’s Day Parade March 17

Every othPicture 11er city has their St. Patrick’s Day Parade situated nicely on the weekends, but in New York, they shut down the streets of New York to party in the middle of the week! On Wednesday March 17, the self-proclaimed oldest (since 1762), biggest and best St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the WORLD takes over Manhattan. Starting at 44th street and moving uptown on 5th Avenue, the parade passes landmarks like St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the American Irish Historical Society before ending at the Metropolitan Museum of Art at 86th Street and 5th Avenue.

The parade is always a loud and lively event, and regardless of your nationality, a “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” pin will always be greeted with a warm reception here!

2. Celebrate St. Paddy’s at Nat’l Shamrock Fest March 13

With 1Picture 140 stages, 40+ bands and DJ’s, and dozens of party areas, this is what you’ll find at the National Shamrock Fest, the largest Saint Paddy’s festival in the Mid-Atlantic Region. This day long street festival is full of live music, food, drinks and dozens of activities for all ages. To be more specific, there are carnival rides, games, strolling entertainers, Shamrock Pub Games, tons of beer trucks, dozens of craft vendors, and much more. This year, there will even be an attempt to break the world record of chest bumps at the festival to raise money against cancer. The music consists of Rock, Irish, Blues, Retro and Folk music. Come and join over 40,000 people at this fun festival.

3. Shamrockin’ St. Patty’s Day Parade March 13

Picture 26For nearly 50 years- 48 to be exact- Denver has been celebrating the Irish holiday of St. Patrick’s Day with a big ol’ parade. This year’s theme is Shamrockin’ and every event and celebration will have an element of homage to Ireland’s contribution to the music scene. Case and point: the parade’s Grand Marshals will be the highly-acclaimed Irish foursome The Bridies.

Not only is this a rockin’ theme, Denver is home to one of the largest St. Patrick’s Day parades in the nation with over 10,000 marchers, 230 entries and nearly 200,000 attendees!

3. 240 Years of St. Patrick’s Day Celebration March 14

Picture 6Join in on one of the longest running St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the country. The first documented St. Patrick’s Day Celebration Parade in Philadelphia was held in 1771, celebrating over 240 continuous years of celebrations. And throughout those years this festivity has honored the cultural traditions and historic significance of the Irish, both in America and abroad.

With the theme “St. Patrick, model of unity for the church and the world,” the parade will featuring thousands of marchers and dozens of bands and floats, highlighted by flags and traditional Irish music this years parade is sure to be one of note.

3. St. Patty’s Day Not Complete Without Whiskey Tasting March 17

Picture 1Once the green beer filled parade festivities are over, it would be nice to spend your St. Patrick’s Day learning…. about whisky. Join the “Master of Whiskey in New England,” Brad Jarvis, for a special Irish Whiskey Tasting on St. Patrick’s Day. As an expert, Brad Jarvis will introduce the contrasting flavors between the two major styles of the Southern and Northern regions of Ireland and explain the subtle differences between blended, pure pot still style (the only whiskey variant still made exclusively in Ireland), peated and in-peated, single malts, and much more. Take a taste tour of various whiskies spanning several regions from a single table all while serving up the finest whiskeys New England and the world as to offer.

3. North Texas Irish Festival March 5-7

Picture 20A week before the official St. Patrick’s Day holiday, Texans can begin to start the party thanks to the North Texas Irish Festival. In its 28th year as a staple in Dallas, this festival features world-class entertainers including Irish dancers, musicians, Celtic storytellers and horse performers on nine stages throughout the weekend celebration.

This year the theme is Celtic Music of the Eastern Coast of Canada, so don’t be surprised to see a Maple Leaf or two mixed in with all the green. On top of a great way to celebrate, this festival also offers workshops for those who want to bring the Irish spirit home!