Philadelphia is full of ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. The city has a large Irish community who take pride in their heritage, and parties for this fun holiday go all week. Get your green on and celebrate this festive holiday because everybody is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day!
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade kicks off the week of St. Paddy’s fun. This is a popular tradition in Philadelphia, with pipe bands, Irish dancers, and others walking the streets, Irish-style! This year, the parade takes place on Sunday, March 10 and begins at noon. Before the parade, there is a mass at 9:15 at St. Patrick’s Church. The parade route runs through downtown Philly and past the famous “Rocky steps” of the art museum. They also have the date set, already for their 250th-year anniversary of the parade in 2020 – Sunday, March 15!
Philadelphia has a vast amount of Irish pubs, restaurants, and food options for St. Patrick’s Day. The Plough and the Stars, located on 2nd Street, is one of the most popular Irish restaurants in the city. It offers a selection of live music, including a traditional Irish music session every Sunday from 5-9pm. Tir Na Nog is an Irish pub located on Arch Street, featuring many Irish food specials, such as Jameson wings to fish and chips to shepherd’s pie. The atmosphere is that of an authentic pub in Ireland. On St. Patrick’s Day, they have bagpipes, Irish dancers, and other entertainment. And, of course, McDonald’s brings back their popular Shamrock Shakes to locations across Philadelphia. This minty beverage might not be traditionally Irish, but it is a seasonal guilty pleasure, so enjoy it while you can!
On St. Patrick’s Day, a number of Philadelphia bars are teaming up for the Irish Stroll Bar Crawl. The crawl starts at Fox and Hound sports tavern from 1 pm until 10 pm on March 16 and 17. Participating bars are located in Rittenhouse Square, Old City, and South Street, making it a great way to explore Philly while you’re visiting.
Various music venues are hosting Irish acts during the days leading up to and on St. Patrick’s Day. The famous Irish punk band The Dropkick Murphys, will be performing at Freedom Hall on Monday, March 11, with doors opening at 6 pm. On Monday, March 14th, Emmett O’Hanlon will be performing at the Hard Rock Café, located on Market Street, at 7:30pm. O’Hanlon is known for recently joining Celtic music sensation Celtic Thunder. A portion of the ticket sales benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Fellow Celtic Thunder member Keith Harkin also performs at the Hard Rock Café on Tuesday, March 15th at 8 pm. His tour is focused on his latest album, On Mercy Street. He is joined by Dave Patten, a versatile singer/songwriter from the Philadelphia area who has worked with the likes of Meek Mill.
So pack your green and get on your way to Philadelphia for St. Patrick’s Day by booking a ticket on Wanderu.com or downloading the Wanderu app!
About the author: Ashley Paskill is a journalism student at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. She has her Associate’s degree in Music and hopes to use both of her passions by being a music and arts journalist, writing for a magazine. In her free time, Ashley likes listening to music, blogging and watching The Big Bang Theory.
