St. Patrick's Day: what began as a Catholic feast day for the patron saint of Ireland has transformed into one of the biggest cultural holidays celebrated throughout the world. From big city parades to festive food and music, millions of people set aside March 17 to celebrate the Irish, whether their ancestors came from the Emerald Isle or not. And if you're looking for a great place to spend the holiday weekend (because, let's be honest, it's a weekend-long affair), so many cities go big with events and activities. So, grab your green outfits and get ready to raise your pint of Guinness in one of the following destinations that should be on your St. Patrick's Day bucket list.
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The most Irish-American city in the United States is one of the best places to be for St. Patrick's Day. Not only is there a massive parade across South Boston, but there are also plenty of ways to connect to your Irish heritage with Gaelic food at every corner, a ton of local Irish pubs, ongoing bar crawls, and lots of traditional Irish music. Oh, and the city's own Dropkick Murphys usually plays at home on St. Patrick's Day.
If the fact that Chicago has the most festivals per capita isn't enough to get you to the Windy City for St. Patrick's Day, the annually dyed green river just might do the trick. Chicago offers an all-out celebration that fills the streets with marching bands, Irish dancers, and people singing and dancing from all walks of life!
Philadelphia is rich in Irish heritage. There isn't just a great parade in town, but the wealth of pubs and alehouses also put on some great events. From the Erin Express, a 10-bus, 30-year-old pub crawl tradition, to "St. Practice Day," a day-before celebration at Fadó Irish Pub, there's so much to do in Philly.
London offers one of the largest St. Patrick's Day celebrations with over 100,000 in attendance every year. The Irish pubs serve up traditional beef stew meals and plenty of Guinness. There's also a St. Patrick's Day Festival in Trafalgar Square and an iconic parade that starts in Piccadilly.
You might not have thought of Buffalo, NY as one of the wildest places to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, but it's home to one of the largest parades in the United States. They also have lots of Irish activities, including a Shamrock Run. Plus, Niagara Falls is close by and illuminated green to honor the Irish.
Besides their traditional parade, the Irish of Brussels have taken over the Parc Cinquantenaire for the past 10 years. It's filled with a variety of Irish sports, including Gaelic rugby!
The historical cobblestone streets of Savannah are flooded with bagpipers, Irish dancers, and everything Irish on St. Patrick's Day. While the city has your typical bar crawls, parade, and holiday run, it's the dyed green water in Forsyth Park's fountain that's a great sight to see.
If you're in the mood for some amazing Irish music, be sure to add Amsterdam to your list of places to visit for St. Patrick's Day. The two-day Irish music festival is the only Irish celebration in the Netherlands and is complete with Irish dancing and music workshops.
San Diego celebrates the Irish with an all-day Shamrock party, complete with Irish bands. They even transform Gaslamp Quarter into the motherland with manmade hills of green artificial turf.
If the name doesn't already give it away, you can bet that O'Neill is a great place to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. They stray away from traditional Irish events and opt for things like a dodge ball tournament and hypnosis show instead. But, they're also home to the world's largest painted shamrock.
It might not be Mardi Gras, but New Orleans can still pack the streets on St. Patrick's Day. The city throws a bunch of block parties and an Irish parade where participants throw Irish stew ingredients instead of beaded necklaces.
If you're looking for a unique experience, head to Sydney, Australia for St. Patrick's Day. You can gather with others at The Rocks, one of the first areas in Australia where the Irish settled.
What better place to celebrate St. Patrick's Day than in the capital city of the Emerald Isle? The Irish go all out in Dublin with a variety of activities to celebrate, including a massive parade and crowded pubs in the Temple Bar area. From Irish craft beer markets to Dublin Castle, you'll get the full experience of Irish tradition if you spend St. Patrick's Day in Dublin.
The Canadian city of Montreal has been participating in St. Patrick's Day events since 1824 with a traditional Irish parade complete with a giant St. Patrick.
The North American island was nicknamed "The Emerald Isle of the Caribbean" because of its resemblance to coastal Ireland and the Irish ancestry of many of the people living there. St. Patrick's Day in Montserrat offers a mix of Irish and African Caribbean heritage with green Heineken and calypso competitions. Make sure you grab your shamrock passport stamp before you leave!
The iconic parade of St. Louis is attended by nearly 250,000 spectators every year. Other notable events are the formal Irish dinner at the Hilton St. Louis and the 5-mile run through downtown.
It shouldn't shock you that NYC offers one of the biggest St. Patrick's Day celebrations in the United States. While the parade is a focus point of the holiday, check out the Irish Arts Center's Annual St. Patrick's Open Day with tin whistle and tap dancing lessons and Gaelic football. And don't forget to grab a cold pint of Guinness at McSorley's and make a stop at St. Patrick's Cathedral before the day is done.
