Grab your green clothes and pour a pint of Guinness – it’s almost time to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day 2024! It takes place annually on 17 March and is a time to honour Ireland’s culture and celebrate the country’s influence around the world. It’s a day for festivities, fun, food and dancing!
St. Patrick is the country’s patron saint, and the holiday was originally a religious observation. Today, it’s a full-on celebration of all things Irish! From the food and drinks to the music, dancing and culture, everyone’s a little Irish on St.Patrick’s Day! In fact, St. Patrick’s day has gone pretty much global thanks to the Irish diaspora from centuries ago. Expat Explore has put together a list of the best places to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day 2024 around the globe.
Take a look at where to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in 2024!
1. Dublin, Ireland
Do St. Patrick’s Day the proper Irish way with celebrations in Dublin! Ireland’s capital city hosts a large St. Patrick’s Day festival, with events celebrating Irish arts, culture and heritage taking place over several days.
The 2024 celebrations in Dublin are set to be the biggest yet! An estimated half a million people are set to visit the city for the parade on 17 March, featuring international marching bands, creative pageants and 4,000 performers! Shamrocks, Guinness and anything green will be centre stage while revellers celebrate long into the night in famous areas like the Temple Bar district! Visit and enjoy “céad míle fáilte” – “a hundred thousand welcomes.” Embrace the Emerald Isle’s famous hospitality on St. Patrick’s Day 2024!
Then, hop over the border to the north for celebrations in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. Here, you can enjoy week-long celebrations including parades, traditional music, dancing, storytelling and more!
2. London, England
This year’s London St. Patrick’s Day festivities take place on Sunday 17 March in Trafalgar Square. More than 50,000 people are expected to turn out to enjoy the celebration of Irish culture, music, heritage and food! A huge parade will travel from Hyde Park Corner, along St. James’ Street and Pall Mall. Look forward to a spectacle of Irish dancing, singing, musicians and fun!
With the holiday taking place right on St. Patrick’s Day on 17 March, there will be plenty of options for parties and festivities! So, visit Irish pubs across the city to say “sláinte!” when celebrating St. Paddy’s Day in London!
Related: Enjoy the celebrations at home with these delicious Irish recipes.
3. New York City, USA
Experience the world’s oldest and largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York City! New York’s St. Patrick’s Day parade is world-famous and the first NYC celebrations of the holiday date back to 1762. New York is home to a high number of people with Irish roots thanks to the arrival of Irish immigrants in the 1700s.
Today, the event is an expression of Irish pride. Midtown Manhattan will turn into a “sea of green” on Saturday, 16 March with the procession moving up 5th Avenue. The parade draws millions of spectators and is a showcase of Irish music, pipe bands and marching bands! So, if you’re in the Big Apple for St. Patrick’s Day 2024, be sure to arrive early to grab good seats for the festivities!
4. Chicago, USA
Another city in the USA which loves to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day is Chicago. The city will host its 69th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Sunday, 17 March 2023 and this year, the South Side Irish Parade also takes place on that same Sunday. The holiday is all about parades, pubs and rivers running green! Sp, sip Guinness and beer in local breweries, dig into hearty Irish cuisine at local pubs and party it up at events like Shamrock’n The Block in the city!
One of the most exciting spectacles is the annual river dyeing ceremony. The Chicago River will be transformed as a local plumbers union adds special dye to the water to turn it a vibrant green colour in honour of St Patrick’s Day. But the dye is eco-friendly, vegetable-based and only lasts a few hours. The State Street Bridge, Columbus Drive Bridge and a cruise offer the best views of the shamrock-green river!
Did you know? Vilnius in Lithuania also dyes the Vilnia River green in honour of St. Patrick’s Day!
5. Buenos Aires, Argentina
Somewhere you might not have expected to be on this list is Buenos Aires in Argentina! This bustling South American city is decked out in green and full of Irish festivities when 17 March arrives. Interestingly, Buenos Aires has one of the largest Irish populations outside of Ireland and you can definitely feel it during “El Dia de San Patricio”!
Instead of the parades that you’ll find in many other cities celebrating the holiday, Buenos Aires hosts a big street party! Party along Reconquista Street, enjoy Irish dancing and music, and sit down for a drink at one of the city’s Irish pubs on 17 March this year!
Related: Discover top destinations in the region on a South America tour.
6. Padua, Italy
The Irish and the Italians are similar in that both cultures love great food, great company and great festivities! Italy also shares Ireland’s love of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Irlanda in Festa takes place in Padua from 14 March (as well as Florence, Bologna and more) and is a festival that is hosted over several days with live music, dancing and, of course, incredible food and Guinness!
Related: Experience the best of Italy on Expat Explore’s range of Italian and European multi-country tours!
7. Tokyo, Japan
Finally, for an incredible mix of cultures, visit Tokyo for St. Patrick’s Day festivities! Celebrating the holiday began as a way to introduce Irish culture to Japan. Since the first iteration in 1992, over the years, it has grown into a super popular event. Today, thousands of spectators gather in Tokyo to enjoy the parades, Irish music, dancers and food on 17 March! You’ll find an eclectic mix of traditional Japanese dress and culture, Tokyo’s modernity and a big splash of Irish heritage at this iconic celebration!
Related: Explore Japan on our Highlights of Japan tour to experience the country’s incredible culture, cities and natural scenery!
Bonus: Montserrat, Caribbean
Not so fast, there is one more surprising destination we have to include on this list! Montserrat in the Caribbean is the only place outside of Ireland where St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday. Locals pay homage to Montserrat’s Irish heritage on 17 March. This makes the island destination the perfect spot for a tropical St. Patrick’s Day celebration!
Grab your green outfits, glittering shamrocks and a pint of Guinness and get ready to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day 2024 in one of these fabulous locations! Keen on exploring more of them? Take a look at Expat Explore’s fun, easy and affordable group tours and start planning your next dream holiday, today!