Every year on 17 March, people around the globe celebrate St. Patrick’s Day – it’s the perfect way to embrace Irish culture and have fun with family and friends. But to ensure people have a memorable experience, you need to get creative. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of 25 St. Patrick’s Day event ideas to inspire you this year.
The history and traditions of St. Patrick’s Day events
So, what’s the origin of St. Patrick’s Day? It started in 1631 as a holy day to honour the patron saint of Ireland, who died on 17 March. The fun began when it became an Irish public holiday. People around the globe jumped at the chance to embrace their Irish heritage and raise a glass to the Emerald Isle.
Nowadays, people celebrate in earnest with city-wide parades, trad sessions, and plenty of rabble-rousing. So, what are some traditions of St. Patrick’s Day? Firstly, everything turns green – clothes, decorations, and sometimes whole cities. Irish music plays a big part, and tasty dishes, like colcannon, soda bread, and Irish stew are always on the menu. Leprechauns, shamrocks, and plenty of Guinness complete the vibe.
Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day
In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day was predominantly a religious celebration until 1903, when it became a national holiday. But it wasn’t until the mid-1990s that the Irish government created a St. Patrick’s Day festival to showcase Irish culture on the days surrounding 17 March. Nowadays, Dublin hosts a multi-day St. Patrick’s Day festival with four days of traditional music and good times in Temple Bar.
25 St. Patrick’s Day event ideas
St. Patrick’s Day is a chance for communities to have fun and celebrate. To help get you inspired, here are 25 St. Patrick’s Day event ideas that will win over a crowd.
1. Get crafty
For a family-friendly event, why not organise a crafting workshop? Have attendees create shamrock wreaths, St. Patrick’s Day hats, or sock puppets themed around the day. Hugh Lane Gallery is hosting a Lucky! Workshop for 7-10 year-olds – a fun, hands-on event making lucky charms based around the Irish shamrock.
2. Céilí dances
Irish dancing allows people to let their hair down – whatever their age or ability. Consider hiring traditional Irish musicians to accompany the festivities. And don’t forget to add some incredible food and beverage experiences to round out the night.
3. Host an Irish poetry night
Ireland has produced some of the world’s best literature – classic poets like W.B Yeats, Samuel Beckett, and James Joyce, and more contemporary voices such as Seamus Heaney and Rachael Hegarty all hail from Ireland – so hold a poetry reading in honour of this. Serve Irish snacks and beverages alongside the readings for a cosy and cultural evening.
For a more interactive take on your Irish poetry night, host a limerick competition. Prep your attendees if you expect the language to go south, but encourage everyone to enjoy the event’s spirit and the craic.
4. Present Irish music
In addition to traditional music, Ireland has produced world-class acts: U2, The Cranberries, The Corrs, Westlife, and Sinead O’Connor, to name a few. Get everyone buzzing with an Irish pop music disco or karaoke night, playing tracks strictly by Irish artists and bands.
For a live music experience, bring together bands who can play traditional or contemporary Irish music – like Sanilac County Historic Village & Museum’s St. Patrick’s Day concert. Don’t forget the catering – all that singing and dancing will work up their appetites, so bring in vendors for food and beverages with an Irish theme.
5. Celebrate Irish artists
Alongside music and literature, Irish painters, sculptors, and photographers have blazed new paths in their respective fields, including Irish-born painter Francis Bacon, photographer Michael Craig-Martin, and cubist painter Louis Le Brocquy. Lead a sponsored tour focusing on leading Irish artists at a local museum, or visit an online collection for attendees to see the world in a new way.
6. Whiskey tasting
For an exclusively adult event, hold an Irish whiskey tasting. Curate a tasting flight of premium Irish whiskeys, and introduce your attendees to new favourites. That’s what Exploring Whiskey has planned for its Irish Whiskey Tasting event. If you’re hosting an event in person, consider hiring an Irish fiddler to set the mood.
7. Screen an Irish movie (or two)
Keep things cultured with a film screening, where guests can buy drinks and snacks – green popcorn, anyone? – and enjoy classic Irish films. For feel-good films, choose “The Banshees of Inisherin”, “The Commitments”, “Once”, and “Killing Bono”. Check out “The Wind that Shakes the Barley” for something more historical and thematic.
8 St. Patrick’s Day scavenger hunt
Adding a themed-treasure hunt to your event is a great marketing idea. Give teams lists of green or Irish-themed items to photograph or bring back for the judges. To add more excitement, create clues with rainbow cards and ask participants to find your event venue – and a pot of gold – at the end of your rainbow.
9. Hold an Irish dancing demonstration
Impress your audience with an Irish dance recital or staged-based shows. Bringing in an expert to teach attendees new dance moves or hiring traditional Irish musicians to accompany the festivities takes your event to the next level.
10. Irish cooking class
Hosting an Irish cooking class or dinner offers attendees a new skill to learn and something delicious to try. Teach how to prepare and serve classic dishes such as soda bread, colcannon, or traditional beef stew. If baking is more your thing, why not host an Irish scone-making class?
11. A 5 or 10k fundraiser
Take inspiration from the East Antrim Marathon Series and organise a St. Patrick’s Day run. If a marathon feels too far, go for 5 or 10 kilometres – having different distance options makes it easier for keen runners to bring along friends or family. You could even end with a meet-up in an Irish pub.
12. Themed pop-up bar
Why not turn your pop-up bar into an event space or attraction like Public School House Events? At their pop-up bar, Shamrocked, guests can enjoy delicious food and signature cocktails in an over-the-top Irish-themed venue.
13. Music and cultural festival
Ireland is a country rich in music and culture. Tap into this by hosting a festival that celebrates music, dancing and performances – like Naptown Events with their 2023 Shamrock The Dock. This two-day festival stages local and global acts, including pipe bands, performers, and Irish dancers.
St Patrick’s Day party ideas
Partying and St. Patrick’s go hand in hand – which means you need to be ready with your St. Patrick’s Day party ideas.
How do you throw a good St Patrick’s Day party?
Good party planning means having a great theme. As themes go, it doesn’t get much better than St. Patrick’s Day. Choose the right venue, music, food, and drinks and give your guests a night to remember. Keep it authentically Irish and mix it with some creative flair.
14. Plan a classic St. Patrick’s Day party
Whether you want to take to the streets, venture into a local pub, or hire a hall, a party is an ideal way to celebrate Irish culture. Follow the theme through decorations, food and beverages, music, and costumes. Ramp up the fun with pots of gold as table centrepieces and a shamrock bingo game.
15. Host a pub crawl
A good old pub crawl involves a trip to several pubs, bars or clubs with one or two drinks in each venue. To make your pub crawl stand out, entice your guests with free drinks, vouchers, or Irish-themed merchandise. Freebies like t-shirts are the perfect way to grab free advertising.
16. Make it a day party
Hosting your St. Patrick’s Day party during the day can broaden its appeal – especially for people who prefer to start early. The Godfrey Hotel treats its guests to a breakfast buffet washed down with bottomless beers, mimosas, and bloody mary.
17. Shamrock ball
Holding a shamrock or Irish-themed fundraiser ball gives everyone the excuse to dress up and donate to charity. Carry the theme through your decorations, food, drink, and entertainment. Make it black tie or green themed – flat caps are optional.
St. Patrick’s Day virtual event ideas
St. Patrick’s Day celebrations come in many different forms. Extend your reach and spread the joy with these ideas for a St. Patrick’s Day virtual event.
18. A traditional Irish comfort food-making class
Cozymeal hosted Boozy Irish Comfort Food, an online cooking class showcasing delectable dishes. Irish cuisine offers a wide range of flavours and ingredients, so mix it up with adventurous dishes like black pudding and crubeens or showcase how to make a cheese such as Irish cheddar.
19. A virtual introduction to Gaeilge
The Irish language has roots lost to the mists of time. Dating back to the third or fourth century, it’s related to the Celtic languages of the ancient Gauls and modern-day Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, and Breton. Introduce language lovers to the unique sounds and spellings by inviting Irish language academics to share their knowledge online.
20. An online Irish-themed sketch event
The New York City Urban Sketchers regularly puts on events designed to get participants sketching the places where they live and travel. On 12 March 2022, online attendees drew images of Ireland together. If you host a creative online event, let participants interact by breaking into groups for feedback and then sharing their creations with others.
21. Hold a cookie-decorating class
For this Irish-themed decorating class, use cookies – which participants get in advance – shaped like shamrocks, pint glasses, or other shapes associated with St. Patrick’s Day. During the online Zoom session, everyone can learn how to bring the biscuits to life with colourful royal icing.
22. A virtual Irish Whiskey masterclass
Irish whiskey has a rich heritage. So why not invite your virtual audience to a masterclass? To host a virtual Irish whiskey tasting, send attendees samples so everyone can taste them together. Alternatively, provide free access to the event but ask attendees to purchase a bottle of the brand you’re featuring so that everyone enjoys the experience together.
Waitrose hosted a virtual masterclass on the history of Slane Irish Whiskey, followed by a cocktail-making lesson. The event was free, but attendees needed to purchase a bottle of the spirit. Responsibility for sourcing and buying the tasting materials lay with the attendee, so there was no fussing with logistics.
23. A Q&A with an Irish bestseller
London’s Brent Libraries hosted an online reading and live Q&A with Carmel Harrington, an author from Co. Wexford. After a passage from her novel, “My Pear-Shaped Life”, the audience shared experiences of St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland and overseas. Livestreaming the event allowed people to reminisce together – making it a heartwarming way to celebrate Irish togetherness.
24. Host a virtual tour
Why not host a virtual tour around a gallery or significant location? Partnering with a tour guide in Ireland matches beautifully with the theme.
25. Create an online kids’ class
Teach kids about Irish history and let them play games or try crafts. Mary’s paint party is an online class showing kids how to create the perfect leprechaun.
Sláinte! You’re ready for St Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick’s Day is all about celebrating communities, and making your event accessible creates a truly celebratory event. Learn how to grow your event with confidence and give your audience a St. Patrick’s Day to remember.
