You’re on your way to enjoying a fantastic St. Patrick's Day.
St. Patrick’s Day: May You Have the Luck Of The Irish!
Got a little bit ‘o Irish in you? Well the time of year to wear your green with pride comes
around every March 17, and it is a time to celebrate! There are many different ways to
celebrate the holiday whether it be throwing a party or heading down to your local Irish pub.
Regardless of which way you want to show your Irish pride, here are some party tips for your St.
Paddy’s Day.
Wear Your Green!
When it comes to planning a St. Patrick’s Day party, the location makes a big difference in
how you celebrate. An event at your home will be more low key than an event at the local Irish
pub. At a home event, you will want to make sure to have enough food, beverage, and for it to
be decorated properly. For an event at a pub, you will want to be sure to hire entertainment,
stock up on Guinness, and possibly hire some security in case things get rowdy.
When it come to decorating your party or pub, there will be a lot of green for sure! Adorn
the walls with Irish flags and images of shamrocks. Many party supply stores have various
sized shamrocks that you can hang from your ceiling or light fixtures. You can also find some
posters that have traditional Irish limericks or sayings. If you can’t find any posters, make them
yourself! Make sure any items you get for the food and drinks, like cups, napkins, plates, etc.,
go along with the Irish colors of green, orange, and white. If you have a green thumb, you can
plant some Oxalis plants and put them around the house. What is an Oxalis plant, you ask?
Most of you will know it by the name of a shamrock. You could also go to your local florist if you are not very plant savvy. Most
importantly make sure everyone wears their green, unless they want to get pinched!
Let the Celtic Music Ring
It wouldn’t be a party without music. St. Paddy’s Day has some especially fun, traditional
music options. For a more formal party, you could have a Celtic harpist serenading your guests. Other Celtic musicians are fiddlers, flutists, and bagpipers.
Speaking of bagpipers, these musicians are some of the most popular and requested
entertainment options on St. Patrick’s Day. If you want a bagpiper to perform at your pub or
party, be sure to book him or her well in advance.
In addition to or in place of music, you can have performers entertain your guests at your
party. A common request is to have little people dressed as leprechauns strolling throughout the event. Another
form of strolling entertainment is a magician. Hire a magician to wander the room and perform periodically for your guests. If you
have a performance stage, you could have a full magic show or other entertainment like an Irish dance performance.
Mmm..Corned Beef and Guinness Time!
Nothing says St. Patrick’s Day like corned beef and cabbage! This is the traditional meal
for any St. Paddy’s day celebration. Even though it is tradition for corned beef and cabbage
to be served on St. Patrick’s Day, it is not a traditional Irish food. It became tradition for Irish
Americans to eat this meal on St. Patrick’s day mainly for economical reasons. In the early
1900’s, the Irish American immigrants were in the lower class and because the meat was
cheaper here than over in Ireland and cabbage was also relatively cheap these became the
staple foods for the holiday. Enough with history, back to your event. Depending on the
size of your event and your cooking abilities, you can prepare the meal yourself or hire a caterer to do it for you. For desert,
make some St. Paddy’s treats. You can use cookie cutters to make shamrock shaped cookies,
decorate with green icing and you’re set! You could also make cupcakes and use icing to make
shamrock shapes on top.
For those of age to celebrate it this way, many view St. Patrick’s Day as a drinking holiday.
Irish pubs around the country are always bursting with business every March 17. If you are
hosting your own party, be sure to hire a bartender to keep the Guinness and Irish Car Bombs flowing. If you’d rather
go the less expensive route, get some green food dye and put it in your regular domestic beer.
Just be sure not to put too much in or you will turn your guests teeth green! It is still festive and
allows all of your guests to enjoy their drink because not all like Guinness. Another fun option,
if you are having some drinks to cheers to, is to teach your guests some traditional Irish drinking
songs.
St. Patrick’s Day is a time to celebrate whether or not you have any Irish heritage. So get
yourself some corned beef and cabbage, put on your green, and party the day away!
