Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parties, Bar Crawls, and Events
Whether you want to drink a Big Beer, watch an Irish band, or send a kid on a Leprechaun hunt, we’ve got you covered.
St. Patrick, himself, in the parade / Photograph by Laura Swartz
St. Patrick’s Day is bearing down on us in all its emerald-hued glory. There will be music and greenery. There will be beer and shenanigans. But most of all, St. Paddy’s is what you make it. Here’s what Philly’s got planned.
The Parade
St. Patrick’s Day Parade / Photograph by R. Kennedy for Visit Philadelphia
As always, the parade is this holiday’s main event — a chance to watch cars and floats and children with shamrocks on their cheeks come marching down the street. Hear the bands play music. Look at the people with kilts and bagpipes. Wave and they will wave back. It’s a nice time.
This year’s theme is “St. Patrick, Bless Those Dedicated to Serving Others!” The exclamation point means it’s a direct order from the Archbishop of Philadelphia. Bet you don’t even know his name, ya lapsed gagooch. Get thee to a conclave! But yeah, his name is Archbishop Nelson Jesus Pérez and he wears a big cross like Ozzy.
In previous years the St. Patrick’s Day Parade has marched up Market Street, but this year they’re doing it on the Parkway, which is a parade’s natural habitat. If you get caught in traffic, you can’t get mad because you were warned. Also it’s a sin to get mad at a parade.
Free, March 16th, starts at 11 a.m. at 16th & JFK, ends at Eakins Oval. (Or watch it on Philly 57.)
Eat, Drink, Do
The Irish Potato Candy Latte at The Ground. / Photo courtesy of Kory Aversa
Irish Potato Candy Latte @ The Ground
The two new-ish Ground coffee shops — in Rittenhouse Square (120 South 18th Street) and near Temple (2000 North 2nd Street C-1) — are whipping up some sweet drink specials, including the above-mentioned Irish Potato Candy Latte and the minty Lucky Clover Bubble Tea topped with whipped cream and gold dust (!).
Pay as you go, through March 31st.
Magically Delicious @ Evil Genius Beer Company
Every year around this time, the Evil Genius of Fishtown offers a short run of Lucky Charms-inspired hazy IPA, “brewed with heaps of malted and flaked oats for a pillowy soft, fluffy mouthfeel.” Ignore the word mouthfeel and think about how many marshmallows died for this. They’re also offering the Jameson Purple Monkey Dishwasher, Jameson barrel-aged chocolate peanut butter porter.
Pay as you go, while supplies last, Evil Genius Beer Co., 1727 Front Street.
St. Paddy’s unWINEd Weekend
Yardley’s lovely and rustic Shady Brook Farm hosts three nights of local wines, beer, fire pits, live music, dancing, and more.
$12-$20, March 14th-16th, Shady Brook Farm, 931 Stony Hill Road, Yardley.
Stouts & Snouts @ Fishtown
This “neighborhood-wide celebration of bold brews, creative cocktails, and delicious pork-inspired bites” will have you running around all over the neighborhood on Saturday. And, for the record, many of these pork-inspired bites are so inspired they contain actual pork: cavatelli with sausage at the great Murph’s Bar, pork belly at Fette Sau, pulled pork poutine at Kraftwork, bacon broiled oysters at the international and so much more.
Pay as you go, March 15th, 11 a.m.-closing, multiple locations in Fishtown
Ukie Club Pig Roast for St. Patty’s Day
Ukrainians love St. Patrick, everybody knows this. So head on down to Ukrainian American Citizens’ Association for beer, porchetta, desserts and music TBA. Do you have the guts to stare your dinner in the face?
$25, March 15th, 2 p.m., Ukie Club, 847 North Franklin Street.
St. Patrick’s Day @ Xfinity Live
This party by the sports complex promises DJs, a mechanical bull, wings, silent disco, live music by cover band Goodman Fiske, and a sense that you’ll outgrow this one day.
Pay as you go, March 15th, 11 a.m., Xfinity Live! Philadelphia, 1100 Pattison Avenue.
Delco Irish Festival
Delco has its priorities straight, promising “a live band, beer pong and Baggo.” Baggo is a lot like cornhole. If I need to explain beer pong, you’re not ready for Delco.
$4.99, March 15th, 2 p.m.-midnight, The Ridley House, 2107 MacDade Boulevard, Holmes.
Evil Genius’s Lucky Charms-inspired beer is back. / Photo courtesy of Kory Aversa
The Great Narberth Leprechaun Hunt
This family-friendly scavenger hunt has kids running around Narberth collecting gold coins and winning prizes. What do you get if you actually catch a Leprechaun? Arrested, probably. Let him go.
Free, March 15th, 1-4 p.m., starts at the Blarney Booth at Haverford and Forrest avenues.
St. Paddy’s Day Happy Hour @ the Philly Goat Project
The PGP will provide the goats, the fire and everything you need to make s’mores. You BYO drinks and other snacks. Also: Win original goat art, let a goat walk on your back, and/or gaze into a goat’s eyes and ponder their spooky rectangular retinas.
$35, March 15th, 5-7 p.m., Philly Goat Project, 6336 Ardleigh Street.
St. Patrick’s Day Weekend Party & Leprechaun Axe Throwing
Kick Axe Philly in Old City promises green beer, shots of green tea, Irish car bombs, “Nerf play,” and more. As for what constitutes “Leprechaun Axe Throwing,” it can’t be what you’re picturing. Note: Kids 7 and up are welcome, and 8-year-olds are allowed to throw axes (“as long as they have the strength and coordination to effectively throw a hatchet as judged by our Axe Pros”).
Pay as you go, March 15th & 16th, 11:30 p.m., Kick Axe Throwing Philly, 232 Market Street.
St. Patrick’s Day Celebration @ Sesame Street
Themed attractions include “Furry Friends St. Patrick’s Day Dance Party,” Irish dancing shows, Dine with Elmo & Friends, and more. This is not explicitly described as a “Furry convention,” so maybe just bring your suit in a bag and and read the room.
$25, March 15th-23rd, Sesame Place, 100 Sesame Road, Langhorne.
Plays & Players Hosts a Hooley
This all-ages St. Paddy’s party downtown promises corned beef and cabbage, Guinness beef stew, soda bread, step-dancing, music by the Pie-Eyed Preachers, kid activities and a limerick contest.
$10, March 16th, 3-8 p.m., Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey Place.
Basset’s Irish Potato Ice Cream @ Yard’s
The Spring Garden brewery/restaurant understood the assignment and stocked up on this Basset’s sweet treat described as “coconut cream cheese ice cream with cinnamon swirls and Irish potato chunks.” There’s not enough Lactaid in the world, but you guys have fun. The Yard’s party also calls for live music, corned beef reubens, Kehoe’s Irish Red poured nitro and more.
Pay as you go, March 16th, noon-5 p.m., Yard’s Brewing, 500 Spring Garden Street.
St. Patrick’s Day @ McGillin’s
A 100+year tradition tradition, McGillin’s annual St. Paddy’s party always a full day of “green beer and green cheer.” Other thematically appropriate drinks include the Irish Potato Martini, Chocolate Leprechaun Martini, Nutty Irishman Coffee and lots more.
Cover TBA, March 17th, opens 10 a.m., McGillin’s Old Ale House, 1310 Drury Street.
Song and Dance
- Barleyjuice — Philly’s long-running Philly Irish/Scottish band throws at St. Paddy’s party in Phoenixville. $25, March 13th, 8 p.m., Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge Street, Phoenixville.
- The High Kings and Mary Black — Two Dublin-based folk acts of some renown. $49-$103, March 13th, 8 p.m., Keswick Theatre, 291 North Keswick Avenue, Glenside.
- Belfast Connection — The Irish folk duo plays “classic drinking tunes, Celtic folk standards, and modern folk jigs.” $20, 8 p.m., Kennett Flash, 102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square.
- St. Patrick’s Day Weekend @ von C Brewing — A busy weekend at the Norristown Brewery, with food, beers and performances by the Coyle School of Irish Dance on Friday and Sunday, and Brian Boru Bagpipes & Drums and Jack O’Leary on Sunday. Pay as you go, March 14th-16th, von C Brewing, 1210 Stanbridge St Suite 300, Norristown.
- Celebrate the Green — Peddler’s Village hosts the Iron Comedy Competition featuring Bill McLaughlin, Steve Young, and Sandy Ehlers on Friday, plus a pub crawl, live music, food specials the Shamrock Fun Run and more. Pay as you go, March 14th-17th, Peddler’s Village, 2400 Street Road, New Hope.
- Almost St. Paddy’s Day Hootenanny — The Fallser Club hosts punk bands Total Knock In, Witheld, and Vedas. $15, March 14th, 8-10 p.m., the Fallser Club, 3721 Midvale Avenue.
- St. Patty’s Weekend @ Fat Lady Brewing — The Manayunk Brewery gets into the spirit with music by jig lords The Get Reels and Celtic metal/jam band Protagon on Friday, and the Coyle School of Irish Dance on Saturday. Pay as you go, March 14th & 15th, Fat Lady Brewing, 4323 Main Street.
- Glengarry Bhoys — Celtic fusion from Glengarry County, Ontario, Canada, featuring highland pipes, tin whistle, fiddles and other traditional instruments. $33-$55, March 15th, 8 p.m., Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge Street, Phoenixville.
- Abbots Cross — This road-tested UK band likes to slip a little jazz, classical and rock into its modern Celtic sound. $20-$30, March 16th, 7:30 p.m., City Winery, 990 Filbert Street.
- The Travelin’ McCourys — It’s possible this is “just” a Nashville bluegrass band with “Mc” in their name but no overt Irishness in the mix. But, you know, they’re Del McCoury’s kids and good players, and you’ll have a good time. Mark Schultz and the Wayne Ranger open the show. $20, March 16th, 8 p.m., Ardmore Music Hall, 23 East Lancaster Avenue.
- Traditional Music Session — A regular gig on Sundays at the Plough and the Stars in Old City. Pay as you go, March 16th, 4-8 p.m., The Plough and the Stars, 123 Chestnut Street.
- John Byrne — The Dublin-born singer-songwriter has been a fixture in the Philly music scene for decades. (P.S. Byrne did a Pogues tribute recently; this maybe won’t just be the sweet stuff.). Pay as you go, March 18th, 7-10 p.m., The Fairview, 601 North 21st Street.
- Foil Arms and Hog — The Irish trio of YouTube comedians performs its new show Skittish, featuring sketch, improv and participation. $42, March 19th, 8 p.m., Keswick Theatre, 291 North Keswick Avenue, Glenside.
- Cherish the Ladies — Led by the charming and talented flute/whistle player Joanie Madden, Cherish the Ladies has been making Irish eyes smile for 40 years with music, dancing and storytelling. For this show in Collingswood, CTL will be joined by world champion dancers and Riverdance alumni James Greenan, Noel Spillane, and Joe Harrison, along with musicians Gabriel Donohue and Bruce Foley. $40-$45, March 21st, 7 p.m., Scottish Rite Auditorium, 315 White Horse Pike, Collingswood.
- Bar Dust — Featuring members of Philly bands Modern Baseball and The Menzingers, this Pogues cover band could be mistaken for an indie rock supergroup. Get there early for traditional tunes by the Tisburys. $17, March 21st, 8 p.m., Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 North Frankford Avenue.
- Fergie’s Pub Saturday Session — with Darin Kelly, Brendan Callahan, and more. Pay as you go, March 22nd, 4-7 p.m., Fergie’s Pub, 1214 Sansom Street.
- Rhythm of the Dance — The National Dance Company of Ireland is known for their big, bold live shows full of “everything Irish dance has evolved into, from its roots in ‘Sean Nos’ (meaning old-style), to the militant, clean, modern style we see on stage today.” Militant!? Shots fired, Riverdance. I think. $39-$82, March 22nd, 8 p.m., Keswick Theatre, 291 North Keswick Avenue, Glenside.
- Basia Bulat — The Toronto folkie isn’t like a full-on Irish music act 24-7, but she has a gorgeous voice and plays a mean autoharp. Mick Flannery opens the show. $20-$38, March 22nd, 8 p.m., World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut Street.
- Ally the Piper — The bagpipe-playing YouTuber has lured new listeners to the sounds of the highlands with a winning personality and a few well-chosen covers; her take on “Crazy Train” is fun as hell. $25, March 23rd, 7 p.m., Ardmore Music Hall, 23 East Lancaster Avenue.
- Altan — The pride of County Donegal, Altan have been literal folk heroes since 1987, playing all over the world and sharing the stage with Dolly Parton, The Chieftains, Bonnie Raitt and more. $29.50-$49.50, March 26th, 8 p.m., Sellersville Theater, 24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville.
- Riverdance — Okay, this one’s not till mid-April, but you might wanna buy your tickets now. The international Irish song and dance sensation is on celebrating its 30th anniversary with a “rejuvenated” version of its original show — featuring a cast performers “all of whom were not born when show began 30 years ago.” $49-$179, April 18th-20th, Miller Theater, 250 South Broad Street.
The Crawls
You wanna go on a pub crawl for St. Paddy’s day? Fine. But there are rules. Here are those rules.
- Have fun.
- Get home safe.
- Don’t do anything that will be caught on video and embedded in an article about white privilege.
Got it? Good. Now here are a few options. Official Philadelphia St Patrick’s Day Bar Crawl (March 14th) (lol official?), Lucky’s St. Patrick’s Day Bar Crawl (March 15th), and the ol’ favorite Erin Express (March 15th & 16th). Doesn’t matter which one you pick. They are all pretty much the same.
