20 Ways to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner, so we’ve put together 20 ideas to help make it a festive occasion for friends and family.

What is St. Patrick’s Day?

St. Patrick’s Day, which takes place on March 17th each year, commemorates the anniversary of the death of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland who lived during the 5th century. He was credited for introducing Christianity to the people of Ireland, where St. Patrick’s Day is typically celebrated as a religious holiday.

Why do we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

Given that it’s a very Irish holiday, why do we celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day in the United States? It’s tradition! Many of the early settlers were immigrants from Ireland, and celebrating this important holiday was a way for them to honor their homeland and traditions.

Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in the US can be traced back to the year 1762, when Irish-born British soldiers marched together to celebrate St. Patty’s Day at a local pub. This was the birth of what is now known as the largest and oldest parade in the world and is still held every year in New York City, with over 2 million people attending each year.

Over the years, the celebrations have continued throughout the country and now, people from all nationalities get together on St. Patty’s Day for some fun!

St. Patrick’s Day activities

Young or old, anyone can find a fun St. Patrick's Day activity to celebrate the holiday. Check out this list of some of our favorites:

St. Patrick’s Day activities for adults

1. Throw a green-themed party. Invite friends over for snacks and games, with one caveat: everyone must wear green! Serve traditional Irish foods like Irish bacon or soda bread and pints of your favorite Irish brews.
2. Play poker with a leprechaun twist—instead of playing for money, play with chocolate gold coins.
3. Visit an Irish pub in your city. Nothing will be quite as festive as an Irish pub on March 17th! Better yet, do an Irish bar crawl and stop at several throughout the night.
4. Make St. Patrick’s Day drinks at home. If you don’t want to go out for drinks, you can make your own at home. Start with a classic Irish coffee, a delicious and easy traditional drink. (Tip: If you’re serving it in the evening, try making it with decaf coffee.)
5. Make it a movie night and watch an Irish or leprechaun-themed movie.
6. Cook a traditional Irish dinner. Corned beef and cabbage, Irish stew, soda bread, and potatoes are a few dishes you could include on your menu.
7. Serve an all-green meal. If corned beef and cabbage isn’t your thing, you can still have a festive and hearty meal. Salad and green smoothies are a good start, and in a pinch (no St. Patty’s Day pun intended!) you could always add a few drops of green food coloring to your food.
8. Visit a parade. If Covid restrictions in your area have lifted, take advantage and visit a St. Patrick’s Day parade in your area! Or, if you’re feeling up to a trip, go to Chicago or New York City for their parades. Each year, the city famously dyes the Chicago River and holds a parade and celebration.
9. Listen to Irish music. The Irish are famous for their jigs and lively music, so put on some Irish music. Not sure where to find it? If you have a smart speaker, just ask Siri or Google to play some Irish music for you.
10. Learn Irish dancing. You might remember the famous Irish dance show, Riverdance. One of the most popular dance shows in the world, many people all over the world loved to watch them perform traditional Irish dance. You can learn it yourself by taking a class near you or watching some how-tos and learning in the comfort of your own home.

St. Patrick’s Day activities for kids

Have a fun day with the whole family with these festive and family-friendly St. Patrick’s Day activities:

11. Fix a festive breakfast. Start the day off with a festive breakfast. Kids will love a green twist on their favorite breakfasts, such as green pancakes, eggs, or a classic leprechaun favorite—Lucky Charms.
12. Make green accessories together. Send the kids to school with something green by making green accessories at home. Boys and girls alike can enjoy making green hairbows, headbands, friendship bracelets, shoelaces, hats, or bowties.
13. Stage a visit from a leprechaun. A visit from a leprechaun is a fun way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day for younger children. The purpose is to leave little traces of a mischievous leprechaun around the house. This could be anything from miniature green footprints, dying milk or eggs in the refrigerator green, or leaving chocolate gold coins around the house. In the morning, kids will have fun finding out where their leprechaun has been. Have fun!
14. Decorate sugar cookies. Make sugar cookies shaped like pots of gold, four-leaf clovers, and rainbows and decorate them together.
15. Go on a four-leaf clover hunt. Head outside to your yard or favorite park and do a four-leaf clover hunt. It’s a fun way to get some fresh air, a little exercise, and to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
16. Decorate the house. You don’t have to go all out, but blow up some green balloons, hang some streamers, and tape four leaf clover cut-outs around the house to add a festive touch.
17. Make St. Patrick’s Day crafts together. If your kids like to make crafts, there’s no shortage of St. Patrick Day crafts you can make together. Make rainbows with pots of gold out of Fruit Loops, a shamrock suncatcher, or just print off some coloring pages for kids to color.
18. Read limericks to your kids. Limericks are silly rhyming poems that are fun to read out loud. While there is some uncertainty over where they actually originated, they were named after the city Limerick in Ireland. You can find limericks online, or you can even try your hand at writing your own!
19. Learn about Ireland together. Ireland is a beautiful country. Take some time to look at pictures of Ireland together and learn more about its history, people, and landscape.
20. Play St. Patrick’s Day games. This can basically be any game with a festive twist. St. Patrick’s Day Bingo, “I Spy” with only green items, or a scavenger hunt with a pot of “gold” as the prize are a few fun ideas.

Don’t leave safety to luck this St. Patrick’s Day

While St. Patrick’s Day is fun for everyone, it’s worth mentioning a few safety tips to keep in mind as you celebrate:

• Celebrate responsibly. St. Patrick’s Day is the most popular holiday in the United States for consuming beer, and the average celebrator will consume about four drinks. If you plan on serving or drinking, make sure you do so responsibly to avoid alcohol-related accidents and injuries.
• Keep an eye on your car. If you’re headed out to the pubs or an event, you can keep tabs on your car with Vivint Car Guard. You’ll know exactly where your vehicle is at all times and will be notified on your smart phone if it’s disturbed in any way. So if someone attempts or break in or you start to get towed, you’ll know right away.
• Stay connected to your home with a smart security system. You can keep your home safe from break-ins and also check in on it while you’re away with a security system from Vivint. Professional monitoring ensures your home is monitored around the clock. You can also use your smart phone to access your camera feeds, lock your doors, and adjust your lighting, to name a few.

Whether you’re celebrating St. Patrick’s Day at home or away, with friends or with family, these ideas are sure to make it a festive, fun, and safe day for all. And to find out how Vivint can make your home more comfortable and convenient, call us at 855.822.1220 for a free consultation today.