7 St. Patrick’s Day Festivities in Philly

We roundup this weekend’s St. Patrick’s Day festivities in Philadelphia:

Leprechaun Run: Enjoy all the weekend’s Guinness and corned beef guilt-free after participating in the 2014 Leprechaun Run, a Philadelphia tradition since 1984. Proceeds from the five-mile run or two-mile walk benefit Special Olympics Athletes in Philadelphia. Register for the race here. Saturday, March 15th, 9 a.m., The Navy Yard, 4747 South Broad Street.

St. Patrick’s Day Bar Crawl at the Piazza: The Piazza at Schmidt’s goes green this Saturday for its third annual St. Patrick’s Day Bar Crawl. All bars at the Piazza will be participating, with drink specials ($4 beers, $5 shots, $7 Irish car bombs). Venture out of the bars for live music from DJ SOJO, DJ 54 and cover band Shameless, and a 400-foot LED screen featuring Instagram and twitter posts tagged #StPattysPiazza. Event benefits St. Baldrick’s foundation.  Saturday, March 15th, noon-9 p.m., $10, Piazza at Schmidt’s, 1001 North 2nd Street.

Celtic Nights: A Night of Music, Song and Dance: Longing for ol’ Erin’s notably greener pastures? Get a taste of Irish culture with Celtic Nights, which combines lilting celtic melodies with lively step dancing from some of Ireland’s most promising performers. Saturday, March 15th, 8 p.m., Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 3680 Walnut Street.

South Street’s Headhouse District’s Inaugural Irish Festival: Cavanaugh Headhouse and O’Neal’s Pub head up the first-ever St. Patty’s festival in South Street’s Headhouse District. South Street will be closed to traffic between Pine and Lombard Streets, so plenty of room to party outside. There’ll be live music and dancing, Irish fare and drink specials all day starting at 11 a.m.. Admission is free if you’ve marched in the parade! Sunday, March 16th, $5, 11 a.m – 7 p.m., South Street.

St. Patrick’s Day Parade: On Sunday, watch as the annual St. Patrick’s Day paraders snake from JFK boulevard to the Art Museum, in a show of Irish pride and pageantry. The parade starts at noon and marches on until 4 p.m.  Check out the parade route to find the best spot. Sunday, March 16th, starts: 16th Street and JFK Boulevard, noon.

James Joyce & Irish Authors: The Rosenbach opens its extensive archive of Irish authors to interpretation, offering visitors a close look at the works of James Joyce and Bram Stoker, among others. The hands-on tour includes reading from the featured authors and a glimpse at the influence Emerald Isle writers have had on the literary world. Sunday, March 16th, 3 p.m., $5, The Rosenbach Museum and Library, 2008 Delancey Place.

Kiss Me I’m Irish and Gay: It’s the official Gayborhood St. Patrick’s Day Party  at U Bar! Admission includes a free drink, drink specials, food from Terra, door prizes, a raffle, music and an all-access pass to Irish-themed fun. Dress in green (like you wouldn’t anyway) for a chance to win prizes. The event benefits City of Hope Philadelphia and QUEERtimes.net. Monday, March 17th, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., $20, U Bar, 1220 Locust Street