St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on 17 March around the globe. It’s a chance to come together to honour and embrace Irish culture. In Australia, where many people have Irish heritage, the day is often marked with performances, food, and parades. If you’re wondering how to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, read on for creative ideas for hosting your own St. Patrick’s Day event.
The history of St. Patrick’s Day
What’s the origin of St. Patrick’s Day? In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day was primarily a religious celebration. The date is when St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is thought to have died. In 1903 it was declared Ireland’s national holiday. These days the religious aspects of the holiday often take a backseat, with St. Patrick’s Day being celebrated in more countries than any other national festival in the world.
Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Australia
Hundreds of iconic landmarks across more than 60 countries have participated in Tourism Ireland’s Global Greening Initiative. Launched in 2010, the initiative encouraged landmarks worldwide to “go green” for St. Patrick’s Day. The Sydney Opera House and the Sky Tower in Auckland were among the first to light up green in honour of Ireland’s national day. However, in 2022 Tourism Ireland stopped promoting the trend in solidarity with the Ukrainian people at war with Russia. In 2023 there are discussions about using the colours of the Ukrainian flag in place of green for the same reason.
25 St Patrick’s Day event ideas
While throwing a parade may not be on your agenda, there are plenty of equally fun ways to celebrate Irish culture this year. Here are some St. Patrick’s Day event ideas to get your Celtic vibe going.
1. Get crafty
For a family-friendly event, why not organise a crafting workshop? Have attendees create shamrock wreaths, St. Patrick’s Day hats, or sock puppets themed around the day.
2. Céilí dances
Céilí is a popular form of Irish folk dancing, often performed with live music. Consider hiring traditional Irish musicians to accompany the festivities. And don’t forget to add some incredible food and beverage experiences to round out the night.
3. Host an Irish poetry night
Ireland has produced some of the world’s best literature; classic poets like WB Yeats, Samuel Beckett, and James Joyce, and more contemporary voices such as Seamus Heaney and Rachael Hegarty all hail from Ireland, so hold a poetry reading in honour of this. For a more interactive take on your Irish poetry night, host a limerick competition. Serve Irish snacks and beverages alongside the readings for a cosy and cultural evening.
4. Present Irish music
In addition to traditional Irish music, Ireland has produced world-class contemporary acts – U2, The Cranberries, The Corrs, Westlife, Sinead O’Connor, and so on. Host an Irish pop music disco, playing tracks strictly by Irish artists and bands, or stick to the same theme for a karaoke night.
For a live music experience, bring together a line-up of bands who can play traditional or contemporary Irish music. That’s what Hotel Steyne in New South Wales did for its concert featuring Hermitage Green on St. Patrick’s Day last year. Don’t forget to cater for your attendees – all that singing and dancing will work up their appetites, so bring in other vendors for food and beverages with an Irish theme.
5. Celebrate Irish artists
Alongside musicians and writers, Irish painters, sculptors, and photographers have blazed new paths in their respective fields, including Irish-born painter Francis Bacon, photographer Michael Craig-Martin, and renowned cubist painter Louis Le Brocquy. With some art exhibition sponsorship, you could set up and lead an in-person tour focusing on leading Irish artists at a local museum or gallery. Or have your group visit an online Irish collection together and see the world through Irish eyes.
6. Whiskey tasting
For an exclusively adult event, hold an Irish whiskey tasting. Curate your own tasting flight of premium Irish whiskeys and introduce your attendees to potential new favourites. That’s what Malt & Juniper in South Australia does for its “Irish Whiskey Tasting”. Guests sample six special Irish whiskeys, each matched with cheese or chocolate.
7. Screen an Irish movie, or two
Keep things cultured with a film screening, where guests can buy drinks and snacks – green popcorn, anyone? – and enjoy classic Irish films. Our recommendations for feel-good Irish films are “The Commitments”, “Once”, and “Killing Bono”. Or you may want something more historical like “The Wind that Shakes the Barley” or David Lean’s classic epic “Ryan’s Daughter”.
8. St. Patrick’s Day scavenger hunt
Adding a St. Patrick’s Day-themed treasure hunt to your event is a great St. Patrick’s Day marketing idea. Give teams a list of green or Irish-themed items to take a photo of or bring back for the judges. The teams with the best or most items receive prizes.
9. Hold an Irish dancing demonstration
Host an Irish dance concert – your demonstration could be a show on a stage or a performance watched by an audience outdoors. Or, bring in a teacher to lead the way and teach attendees some new dance moves. Hiring traditional Irish musicians to accompany the festivities will take your event to the next level.
10. Irish cooking class
Offer attendees a new skill to learn and something delicious to try by hosting an Irish cooking class or pop-up dinner. Teach them how to prepare and serve classic dishes such as soda bread, colcannon – a traditional dish of mashed potatoes with cabbage or kale – or traditional beef stew.
If baking is more your thing, why not host an Irish scone-making class? When hosting a self-supplied cooking event, consider posting a list of ingredients that can be bought locally on your event page.
11. A 5k or 10k fundraiser
For something different, organise a St. Patrick’s Day fun run or walk. If a marathon looks a step too far for some, go for five or 10 kilometres – having different distance options makes it easier for keen runners to bring along friends or family to get involved. How about organising a meet-up in an Irish pub afterwards?
12. Themed pop-up bar
Turn any event space into a pop-up bar. You’ll need the furniture to make it happen, but that can be borrowed or hired. Think bar stools, high tables, and comfy VIP lounges. Ensure you’re covered by a liquor licence to sell alcohol and that staff know the rules around responsible service.
13. Music and cultural festival
Consider hosting a festival that celebrates Irish music, dancing, and performances. Find local talent or go big and bring in national or global artists. Think Irish pipe bands, Céilí dance performers, and bagpipe marching bands. Or choose more contemporary talent.
St. Patrick’s Day party ideas
Whether you want to take to the streets, venture into a local pub or bar, or hire a hall, a party is a great way to celebrate Irish culture. Lean into the theme for the St. Patrick’s Day party ideas below with decorations featuring the Irish flag and national colours of green, white, and orange.
14. Plan a classic St. Patrick’s Day party
If you’re wondering how to throw a good St. Patrick’s Day party, then as well as venue decorations with an Irish theme, consider:
- Serving Irish food and beverages
- Hiring an Irish band to play traditional and contemporary Irish music
- Encouraging attendees to wear an Irish-inspired costume and offering an award or prize for the best dressed
- Running a Shamrock bingo game with Irish images to mark off when called out
- Using “pots of gold” for table centrepieces along with toy leprechauns and giant cut-outs of shamrocks
In Western Australia, the “St. Patrick’s Festival Bunbury 2023” goes to town with getting their community into the spirit of the day. They’ve extended Ireland’s national day out to a three-day event. Hosted by the Southwest Irish Community Group, the event features traditional foods, beverages, performers, and an impressive line-up of contemporary musical artists and bands.
15. Host a pub crawl
On St. Patrick’s Day, pub crawls are popular the world over. Host an Irish-themed pub crawl for St. Patrick’s Day and encourage your guests to dress up in the spirit of the day.
16. Make it a day party
There’s so much to cram into one day that many event creators choose to host parties during the day for St. Patrick’s Day. Kick things off in the morning with an Irish-themed breakfast and brunch buffet.
17. Shamrock ball
If you’re looking for an elegant way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and want to include some social responsibility with your event, throw a lucky shamrock or Irish-themed gala fundraiser ball. Some regions have Irish community groups, as Bunbury does above, so check to see what your local Irish organisation has planned, so you don’t clash with your target audiences.
St. Patrick’s Day virtual event ideas
If you want to host an online event with a potentially global audience, take a look at the St. Patrick’s Day virtual event ideas below.
18. A traditional Irish comfort food-making class
You could host an online cooking class around the humble cottage pie, but Irish cuisine offers a wide range of flavours and ingredients. Mix it up with more adventurous dishes that include black or blood pudding and crubeens, which are pigs’ trotters that are traditionally fried.
19. A virtual introduction to Gaeilge
The Irish language has roots lost in time, but it can be dated back to at least the 3rd or 4th century. It’s related to the Celtic languages of the ancient Gauls and modern-day Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, and Breton. Introduce language lovers to the unique sounds and spellings of this venerable tongue.
20. An online Irish-themed drawing event
If art is your thing, consider hosting online sketch events, designed to get participants to draw the places where they live and travel. For a St. Patrick’s Day event, attendees could join online and sketch images of Ireland together. Allow participants to interact by breaking out into groups for feedback and notes, then sharing their creations with others.
21. Hold a cookie-decorating class
For a decorating class, the cookies – which participants get delivered in advance – could be shaped like shamrocks, pint glasses, and other shapes associated with St. Patrick’s Day. During your online session, everyone learns how to bring the biscuits to life with colourful royal icing and sugar-coated toppings.
22. A virtual Irish Whiskey masterclass
If you’re going to host a virtual Irish whiskey tasting, send attendees samples in advance so everyone can taste them together during a video stream and share their opinions. Alternatively, and especially if you have a global audience, ask attendees to purchase their own samples of the brands you’re featuring. They might need mixers for a cocktail-making session or food pairings so everyone can relish the experience together. If the responsibility for sourcing and buying the tasting materials lies with the attendee, there are fewer logistics for you to work out.
23. A Q&A with an Irish bestseller
The State Library of New South Wales will be capitalising on St. Patrick’s Day by hosting an event with an Irish Times columnist and award-winning author, Fintan O’Toole. One of Ireland’s leading public intellectuals, Fintan O’Toole will discuss his book “We Don’t Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Ireland Since 1958”. This type of event is ideal for livestreaming to expand the audience.
24. Host a virtual tour
Organise a virtual tour around any gallery or significant location in Ireland. Start by researching the tours available on their websites. To value-add to those, partner with a tour guide in Ireland and have them lead the presentation.
Virtual events are accessible to everyone, but just remember to consider time zones. For example, if you expect lots of interest from a certain country, aim for a slot that suits that country as well as more local attendees. By considering the needs of everyone in your target community, you’ll be well on your way to creating a genuinely celebratory event.
25. Create an online kids’ class
Teach youngsters about Irish history or let them play games and try out some different crafts with an Irish theme. Use shamrocks, rainbows, and big pots of gold, as themes for maths, writing their own stories, or online book reading. You could hide a virtual leprechaun for them to find, with problems or maths to solve and answer. Or, list the materials for an online art class on your event page and host an Irish-themed creative session.
Sláinte! You’re ready for St. Patrick’s Day
At its core, St. Patrick’s Day is all about celebrating community – both in Ireland and in the wider Irish community that stretches far and wide around the globe.
Once you have your St. Patrick’s Day event idea picked out, make sure you’re signed up for Eventbrite so you can host your event in a few easy steps.
