Best St. Patrick's Day Celebrations in the US

Boston has been recognizing this Irish holiday since 1737--although with just a modest ‘gathering.’ Still, the city’s celebration has stood the test of time, and Bostonians celebrate every year on the Sunday closest to March 17th. Did we mention the endless Irish pubs to choose from? Check out Doyle’s, one of Boston’s oldest establishments and the perfect pub for St. Patrick’s Day.

The celebration starts a week earlier in Savannah, Georgia, with a charity bar crawl called “St. Practice Day.” For a small registration fee, participants gather on River Street in Downtown Savannah, and start checking off drinking establishments listed on the Leprechaun checklist. First 250 guest to finish the checklist wins a prize!

Every year Chicago starts their St. Patrick’s Day with thousands of people gathered around the banks of the Chicago river to witness it turn green, as an environmental-friendly dye is added to kick off the annual parade. The Windy City makes your visit worth it, with lots of weekend-long events throughout the city including musical performances and a family-friendly festival at the Irish American Heritage Center.

Parades can be a long affair, but hey--not in Hot Springs, Arkansas! At a mere 98-feet long, their parade wins for “Shortest Route.” Even with the short march down Bridge Street, partiers still get to enjoy an entire afternoon and evening of festivities, including live music, dance performances, and more.

Where would you expect the biggest parade to be on St. Patrick’s Day? Of course, the Big Apple! A six-hour long affair that spans 35 city blocks, revelers enjoy glamorous floats, marching bands, special celebrity guests and so much more (including coverage on our show, We Hear!). A week before the parade, NYC’s Irish Arts Center hosts an annual St. Patrick’s Open event featuring music and dance.

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