St. Patrick’s Day falls on the 17th of March every year. In 2017, that means it falls on a Friday, meaning that your St. Patrick’s Day party can be extended to cover the weekend (even if two of those days are spent in recovery!). The day is celebrated by Irish communities the world over, and many others have taken to celebrating it too!
Here are 5 of the best spots to head to in London for the day/weekend …
St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Treasure Hunt & Festival - Piccadilly to Whitehall (Trafalgar Square) - Sunday 19th March, 12 pm Onwards - Free
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival has become a bit of an institution in London over the years. Expect the usual parade fare of flamboyant pageantry, elaborate floats, and marching bands, as well as Irish dancers, sports clubs and a number of performances in Trafalgar Square by West End stars, Irish acts and a huge céilí, all hosted by standup comedian Jarlath Regan. Oh, and the chance to get stuck in on lots of modern and traditional Irish food!
There’s also a family treasure hunt taking place around Trafalgar Square on Sunday 19th March. The hunt will take approximately 1.5 hours to complete, and will take you around the National Portrait Gallery and beyond. A slightly quieter, though still as busy & bustling, alternative to the shenanigans in the square!
Irish Pub Crawl - Any Day Between Friday 17th and Sunday 19th March
London is full of great Irish bars. So many, in fact, that we’d doubt you’d be able to visit them all, especially on St. Patrick’s Day! However, there probably isn’t a better excuse to put on a Leprechaun costume or daub yourself in green than a visit to one or more of London’s great Irish bars. Some of the best/most popular ones include: Waxy O’Connors; Waxy’s Little Sister; The Toucan; The Porterhouse; Auld Shillelagh; and The Tipperary. As should perhaps be expected on St. Patrick’s Day, many of these pubs will be serving up lots of Irish food and having live bands play. Oh, and the England vs. Ireland Six Nations match, naturally!
Family Festival - Atrium Kitchen, North Yard, NW1 8AH - Saturday 18th March, 11 am - 6 pm - £6 for Grown-Ups, Free Under 12s
A family-friendly festival for all the little leprechauns! Arts and crafts, Irish dancing lessons, face painting … All the good stuff. Oh, and there’s obviously Guinness on tap for the adults, and perhaps best of all is the Oscar-nominated band Kila performing live, with their extra-special interactive children’s show. Oh, and for those who want the festivities to go on into the evening, Moxie will be playing their style of modern jazz and world music-meets-traditional Irish song at the Interchange Atrium near the arches of at the heart of Camden. This will cost an additional £6, but it’ll be worth it!
St. Patrick or the Pagans? - Hackney Round Chapel, 1D Glenarm Road, E5 0LY - Friday 17th March, 7 pm - Late - £30
Want to learn some new and unusual facts about St. Patrick’s Day? Prefer to learn about the Pagan roots of St. Patrick’s Day, as well as the real story of St. Patrick himself? Have an itch to sing songs about cannibalism, infidelity and dancing on others’ graves? Then this event is for you! Ticket price includes an interactive comedic banquet and a chance to see the barnstorming band, Honeyfeet.St. Patrick’s Day Tea Dance - London Irish Centre, 50 - 52 Camden Square, NW1 9XB - Friday 17th March, 12.30 pm - 4.30 pm - £10
Get your St. Patrick’s Day weekend started with a 2-course meal, which includes everyone’s Irish favourite, bacon and cabbage. A great place for all you fancy dress lovers to get into your St. Patrick’s Day outfit and spend an afternoon eating, singing, dancing to live band Mustang, and generally being merry! There’ll be a raffle, too!
London has gone all-out this year, with three whole days of celebrations taking place. So much great stuff is going on, we couldn’t possibly fit all the events on this list!
St. Patrick's Day Women's Outfits
St. Patrick's Men's Outfits
