There are so many options to choose from, depending on who you’re entertaining.
Whether you’re keeping it simple with some festive, green beer or putting a little more effort into your March 17 get-together, these leprechaun-approved suggestions can get the party started right.
Before you plan, know what the holiday is about
St. Patrick’s Day began as a holiday to observe the death of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. St. Patrick died in the 5th century, so the Irish have celebrated the holiday for over 1,000 years. Traditionally, Irish families spend the morning in church and celebrate in the afternoon. Even though the holiday falls on Lent, “prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink and feast [on the day],” according to History.com.
Today’s version of the holiday, especially in the U.S., focuses more on the dancing, drinking and celebrating. Some 55 percent of Americans planned on celebrating in 2019, and the holiday ranks as the third-most-popular drinking day. Because of its festive reputation, having the right St. Patrick’s Day party is essential. There are a lot of celebration expectations to meet by March 17.
From start to finish, the best St. Patrick’s Day party ideas
Planning the perfect St. Patrick’s Day is about more than just grabbing anything green and buying out your party store’s supply of shamrocks. You have to think it through from start to finish to infuse every element with the right amount of Irish cheer. From the invites to the eats, we’re getting the St. Patrick’s Day party ideas flowing.
1. Pick the perfect St. Patrick’s Day party invites
There’s no party on St. Patrick’s Day without the people. Instead of throwing together a quick Facebook invite, do something a little different. Send out themed invitations in the mail. All you need are green construction paper, glue, scissors and either some themed stickers or stencils. Pinterest is always a great place to glean creative inspiration for your invites.
Before finalizing the “when” for your party, check to see if there are any local parades. While cities like New York, Chicago and Boston have reputations for their celebrations, your town may do something on a smaller scale. If so, you don’t want to start your party until afterward. You may even want to get a group to stand and cheer along the parade route before heading back to your place.
Aim to send out invitations about three weeks before the holiday. This gives guests plenty of time to RSVP.
2. Wear green to your St. Patrick’s Day party
St. Patrick’s Day came to the U.S. via Irish immigrants. They continued celebrating the holiday even when they left their home country. In addition to bringing their holidays, they also brought their superstitions, and wearing green had a specific superstitious purpose. The Irish believed that when in green you were invisible to leprechauns and could avoid getting pinched. To this day, those who get really into the holiday still pinch, so consider adding some green to your party outfit.
It’s good to remind guests that you recommend they dress with some Irish spirit for your party. If green isn’t their color, it can also be acceptable to wear orange or white, the other two colors of the Irish flag. Stock your party with green top hats or buttons that say, “Kiss me, I’m Irish,” to ensure everyone at the party feels properly festive.
3. Go Irish with your St. Patrick’s Day party decor
The next step to the best St. Patrick’s Day party is deciding how to decorate your apartment. You have the option of making your own decorations or spending a little money at your local party store. If you decide to DIY, you may still need to buy a few items. Green construction paper, green pipe cleaners, glue and a shamrock stencil can all help you create party decorations from scratch. Pipe cleaners easily fold into a four-leaf clover. String a few from a green ribbon and you have ready-made garlands to hang around your home. Paper shamrocks cut from scrapbooking paper and glued to wooden skewers make a great bouquet to use as a centerpiece.
Stopping by the party store for green balloons and crepe paper is another way to lay the foundation for your St. Patrick’s Day vision. While you shop, look for green, beaded necklaces and fun, themed decorations to add to your look.
4. Serve authentic Irish food
The Irish love their food almost as much as they love their beer, which means you’ll need both for the perfect St. Patrick’s Day menu. For food, you can whip up some traditional dishes like Irish soda bread or corned beef and cabbage. While the soda bread may be a little more advanced, corned beef and cabbage is the ultimate one-pot meal. all you need is a Dutch oven or slow cooker for a perfect dish. Add to that a pesto pasta salad, and you’ll keep things green and tasty. Lucky Charms, shamrock cookies or green-frosted cupcakes complete your menu.
If preparing the food feels too intimidating, you can make the party a potluck. Ask your guests to bring their favorite, Irish-inspired dish, and build your menu with their help.
Deciding on what to drink is a little easier since green beer is at the top of most St. Patrick’s Day party ideas. To make your own, add about six drops of green food coloring per pint of a pale Irish lager. For those who don’t enjoy drinking something green, opt for a well-known Irish beer or spirit. Guinness is typically the favorite for St. Patty’s Day revelers, although Irish whiskey isn’t far behind. Partygoers drink 13 million glasses of Guinness worldwide during the holiday.
For guests who aren’t into alcohol, offer a green alternative. Freeze some green water into ice cubes to use in sparking or flavored water to keep the Irish theme going.
5. Add a little St. Patrick’s Day party entertainment
Conversation and revelry may be enough to keep your St. Patrick’s Day party going, but it can’t hurt to offer a little something extra. Irish music playing in the background and a movie on hand to watch can add an extra Irish element.
Traditional instruments used in Irish music include fiddle, bodhran, wooden flute, tin whistle, Uillean pipes and the Irish harp, according to liveabout. A quick search on your preferred streaming music service should get you a decent playlist.
If your crew prefers a party with a movie, consider one that features either an Irish character, Irish actors or takes place on location in Ireland. According to Screen Rant, there’s an appropriate move in almost every genre, including:
- “Leprechaun” for horror junkies
- “Far and Away” for romantics
- “The Secret of the Kells” for a younger audience
- “Gangs of New York” for a little drama and some action
- “Michael Collins” for a historical drama
- “The Commitments” for a laugh
Curl up with some green popcorn and keep the celebration going even longer with the right movie.
Celebrating your St. Patrick’s Day party with shamrocks and leprechauns
Not necessarily affiliated with the holiday itself, shamrocks and leprechauns do more to honor Ireland and the heritage that gave us St. Patrick’s Day. Once a symbol for spring, the shamrock, or four-leaf clover, is now, “virtually synonymous with St. Patrick’s Day and all that is Irish.” Leprechauns similarly serve as a symbol associated with the Emerald Isle. Irish legend says that if you catch a leprechaun, they’ll grant you three wishes to earn their freedom.
Throwing a great St. Patrick’s Day party
You have a lot of options for building the best St. Patrick’s Day party. From invitations and decor to food and entertainment, you can elevate this special day to a memorable party your friends will talk about until March 17 rolls around again next year.
