The Biggest & Most Unique Places To Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick’s Day is one of the few holidays celebrated by people of all backgrounds; and arguably one of the most fun. Between the parades, green beer, shamrocks, music and dancing who wouldn’t want to be Irish for the day, the feeling is infectious.
Being a former step dancer, I was involved in many a St. Patrick’s Day performance. I hopped, skipped, and leaped down restaurant aisles, country clubs, retirement homes, parades, and of course rowdy bars. But I have also been a spectator in places like New York City, and the holy grail of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations Dublin, Ireland. While most things about the celebrations are similar, there are some places that have their own special way of celebrating. Here is a list of some of the biggest, and most unique places, and ways the holiday is honored.
Dublin, Ireland
Traditionally observed as a religious holiday, St. Patrick’s Day was far from the celebration it is now. Up until the 1970’s Irish law ordered that pubs close to observe the holiday. Only in 1995 did they embrace St. Patrick’s Day as an opportunity to celebrate their culture with the world, and turn it into the week long affair it has become. The schedule of events for the week includes, live music performances, comedy acts, art shows, treasure hunts, and walking tours. The town is filled to capacity all leading up to the final days parade, and fireworks extravaganza. The holiday draws international attention, which makes this National holiday a multi-cultural experience. But regardless of the language, or origin of your fellow on-lookers, everyone is there to say they spent St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin.
New York City, New York
While many would assume Ireland held the first St. Patrick’s Day parade, New York City is where the tradition actually began. The original parade was marched on March 17, 1762, by Irish ex-pats and Irish military living in New York City. To this day the parade is still lead down 5th Avenue by the Irish165th Infantry, and keeps to its status as a marching parade by not allowing any floats or vehicles. It is the largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in North America. It has 200,000 plus participants including, the thirty two Irish county societies, Emerald societies, Irish-language, and nationalist societies, politicians, bands, bagpipes, and dancers. Often regarded as the most popular parade in the city it has well over 2 million viewers, and is broadcast on TV to homes across the country.
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago really goes green on this holiday. The most popular attraction is the dyeing of the Chicago River. The dye was originally used to track pollution in the water, but due to its emerald green color became a central part of the celebration in this city for the past 40 years. Visitors travel from all over to witness the process. However, it’s clouded with a veil of mystery; for the recipe of the dye is a closely guarded secret. This city also holds not one but two parades. The most recognizable being the one held in downtown Chicago. The other is the South Side Irish parade. This parade was brought to life by two friends who wanted to bring the parade back to their South Side like it was before it got moved to downtown Chicago in 1960. They organized the first parade which consisted of their family, friends, and 17 children marching on the sidewalks of the neighborhood. It has since grown in size to over 15,000 marchers and 250,000 plus spectators. It is considered the largest neighborhood-based St. Patrick’s Day parade outside of Dublin.
Hot Springs, Arkansas
To switch gears from the largest celebrations, this town is famous for the world’s shortest St. Patrick’s Day parade. It is held on Bridge Street, famously listed by Ripley’s Believe It or Not as “The Shortest Street In The World”, stretching only 98 feet in length. Embracing their title, they host the world’s shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade. This celebration is far from traditional. Participants include, Irish Belly dancers, the Irish order of Elvi (a group of Elvis look-alikes), the Lards of the Dance, and even Irish Wolfhounds. Each year the parade is marshaled by a different celebrity, some of which include, Pauly Shore, Mario Lopez, and this year, Bo Derek. The parade closes with green fireworks, and a Pub-Crawl. It’s the biggest little celebration around!
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
This might seem like an unlikely place for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration given their ties to France, but there’s no doubt of the existence of Irish heritage here on March 17th. The city holds the record for the longest-running St. Patrick’s Day parade in Canada. The celebration dates as far back as 1759, and the parade began in 1824, and has never once been canceled. Even when in 1993 on the eve of the parade, a snow storm dumped 1.5 feet of snow, and it looked as if it might be called off, the next morning the streets were plowed and the parade was held without a second thought. The Great Depression was no exception to the rule either, that year it became strictly a marching parade as floats were too costly. The parade is lead by a giant replica of St. Patrick and is followed by a three hour long procession of all things Irish.
Montserrat, Caribbean Sea
Typically, when you think of the Caribbean, you don’t think of St. Patrick’s Day. However, Montserrat is considered the Emerald Isle of the Caribbean. How did this come to be? In the 17th Century, the town welcomed Irish Catholics who were persecuted on other English run islands. Eventually, the population became approximately 50% Irish. This relationship is evident as soon as your passport is stamped with a shamrock. The St. Patrick’s Day celebration is not taken lightly here, the festivities last an entire week. This is the only other nation in the world where St. Patrick’s Day is considered a national holiday. The fusion of Afro-Irish culture is celebrated with calypso music, and Guinness. So grab your passport and green Hibiscus shirt you’re in for a St. Patrick’s Day like no other.
Tokyo, Japan
This celebration is unique in that it is hosted to promote cultural exchange between the two countries of Ireland and Japan. It is hosted by the INJ, the Irish Network Japan. They are a non-profit run by Irish and Japanese volunteers who aim to promote the Irish culture in Japan. The holiday took root here in 1992, and was the first and biggest St. Patrick’s Day parade in Asia. It includes approximately 2,000 participants, and 30,000 spectators. Japanese Irish dancers, bagpipe bands, and various dignitaries from each country all march to bring the two Nations together.
As we’ve found out St. Patrick’s Day truly is not an exclusively Irish holiday anymore. Each city and country injects their own customs into the celebration making each St. Patrick’s Day experience one of a kind. Use the holiday as an opportunity to explore how cities near you put their own twist on the day.
Dublin Image Source, Flickr User: infomatique; Chicago Image Source, Flickr User: Señor Codo; Montreal Image Source, Flickr User: colros; Montreal Image Source, Flickr User: tata_aka_T
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