14 essential St. Patrick’s Day events in Philadelphia

St. Patrick’s Day arrives on Friday, March 17 and brings a wide range of ways to celebrate, and it’s not just drinking green beer on messy bar crawls — you can learn how to make Irish-themed cocktails, attend one of the popular parades happening in the days leading up to the holiday, and more. (And don’t forget to grab some Irish Potatoes while you still can.)

Whether you’re looking for a raucous celebration or simply want to quietly observe the holiday with your family, here’s how to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in the Philadelphia region.

Enjoy three days of festive programming centered on Irish pride at Shadybrook Farm. Head out for music, Irish dance performances, drinks, food and much more.

📅 March 10-12, and 17-18, ⌚5-10 p.m. (March 10, 17, and 18), 11 a.m to 4 p.m. (March 11 and 18), and noon to 4 p.m. on March 12, 💵 $12-15, 📍931 Stony Hill Rd., Yardley, 🌐shadybrookfarm.com

Show your Irish pride and cheer on the marchers at Bucks County’s annual parade, which starts at Conwell-Egan Catholic High School and concludes at Levittown American baseball fields. There will be music, performances, and lots of festive cheer.

📅March 11, ⌚10:30 a.m., 💵 Free, 📍611 Wistar Rd., Fairless Hills, 🌐facebook.com

Kick off your day at Howl at the Moon and make your way to 10 bars on this Center City bar crawl. You’ll get drink specials and cover-free access to every bar on the crawl, including Blume Burger, Bru Craft & Wurst, and Hard Rock Cafe.

📅March 17-18 ⌚ 5 p.m on March 17, 2 p.m. on March 18, 💵 $20, 📍258 South 15th Street, 🌐 feverup.com

The Shamrock Crawl gives you access to over 30 different bars where you can enjoy drink specials, food, and music. Your wristband gets you in cover-free at locations through Center City and into Manayunk. If you upgrade to VIP, you also get five drink tickets.

📅March 11, ⌚noon to 6 p.m., 💵 $9.95-$19.95, 📍1213 Sansom St, 🌐shamrockcrawl.com

Head to Xfinity Live for a night of games, food, and drink specials. Sip green beer while you enjoy a silent disco party, karaoke, and more. Admission is free.

📅March 17, ⌚ reserve a table, 💵depends on what you order, 📍1100 Pattison Ave., 🌐 xfinitylive.com

Peddler’s Village is going green for St. Patrick’s Day. Local restaurants will serve themed food and drinks like shamrock punch, Irish soda bread and more. The festivities start on March 17 and run until the 19th, but on the final weekend (March 18-19), bring the family for a village-wide leprechaun hunt.

📅March 17-19 ⌚noon to 4 p.m., 💵 depends on what you order, 📍2400 Street Road, New Hope (at Peddler’s Village) 🌐peddlersvillage.com

Philly’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is one of the largest in the Delaware Valley and it’s slated to make its way down JFK Blvd. and the Parkway on the Sunday before St. Patrick’s Day. Join in the show of Irish pride and watch along the Ben Franklin Parkway as bands, dancers, and other performers make their way along the route. Check out our parade guide for road closures, parking, weather, and more.

📅March 12 ⌚11 a.m., 💵 free, 📍16th and JFK Blvd, 🌐philadelphiastpatsparade.com

Whip up some delicious cocktails crafted with Irish Whiskey. Your ticket includes two seats at the workshop bar, a hands-on lesson where you’ll create two themed cocktails, a swag bag, and 10% off anything within Art in the Age.

📅March 14 ⌚7 P.m., 💵 $100, 📍116 N. 3rd St., 🌐shop.artintheage.com

Philadelphia’s oldest bar is coming through with an all-day St. Paddy’s Day party. The bar opens early at 10 a.m. and a $5 cover gets you in. Don’t miss out on green beer, food specials and more.

📅March 17, ⌚10 a.m., 💵 free from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., $5 from 2-5 p.m., and $10 after 5 p.m., 📍1310 Drury St., 🌐mcgillins.com

For more than a decade, Celtic Woman have been wowing American audiences with their fusion of traditional and contemporary Irish music. With strong vocals and Celtic violin, this troupe of Celtic singers brings centuries of cultural traditions to life on stage.

📅 March 23, ⌚8 p.m., 💵 $34-$216, 📍 858 N. Broad St., themetphilly.com

Grab your green running gear and prepare to run. Don’t worry, this race is low pressure. As long as you cross the finish, you’re a winner. You can also sign up for a virtual run, and run your 5K wherever you are. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Conshohocken Fire Company #2 and their volunteers.

📅March 11, ⌚ 1-3 p.m., 💵 $40 ($45 after March 10), 📍 819 Fayette St., Conshohocken, 🌐 runsignup.com

If you don’t want to drink, but still want to commemorate Saint Patrick’s Day, make yourself a green beer candle. Local scent bar, Cork & Candle, provides the materials and space for you to “brew” your green dye beer, whip the topping cream, and drink your BYOB. No candlemaking experience is required. Book a slot for $45 per person.

📅March 1-30 ⌚Make a reservation, 💵 $45, 📍 255 Main St Unit 150, King of Prussia., 🌐.corkandcandles.com

Do you want to go bar hopping, but don’t want to pay bar covers multiple times? This event brings over 20 Philly bars together, so you can go to as many bar crawls as possible for $20, including Xfinity Live, Green Room, the Rec & Royal outdoor block party, and Sto’s Old City. Check-in starts at noon, but you can enter until 5 p.m. Bar crawl drink specials and free cover end at 8 p.m.

📅March 11 ⌚noon to 8 p.m., 💵 $20, 📍111 South 17th St. at Rec & Royal, 🌐eventbrite.com

If you are looking to spend St. Patrick’s dancing, this bar crawl brings three days of just that. Venues such as Woody’s, Voyeur, Concourse, GloBar, and Pulse are part of the package. Single-day tickets are $25 per person, you don’t have to pay a cover at the entrance, and Irish-themed drinks are 50%.

📅March 11, 17,18 ⌚1-9 p.m., 💵 $25, 📍202 South 13th St, 🌐barcrawllive.com

» READ MORE: Live your best life in Philly: Read our most useful stories here