A band plays at the Dublin St Patrick’s day parade. This year’s event begins at noon. (iStock)
Having an Irish bloodline is no prerequisite to celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, and a handful of places across Europe will be offering the chance to revel in the spirit of the Emerald Isle throughout the coming weekend.
Milan, Italy: The culture, art and traditions of Ireland will be on full display across the city through March 17, as Milan celebrates Irish Week with a program made up of music, dance, food, film, a showcase of the country’s travel destinations and more. An exhibition of landscape photography can be enjoyed along Via Dante, where buskers and street dancers will be performing through the weekend. Local institutions getting into the act include the Hard Rock Café, Spirit of Ireland, Old Fox Pub, Mulligans Pub Milan, and Pogue Mahone’s. Online: tinyurl.com/yzvfheeb
London: The Mayor of London’s St Patrick’s Festival is set to unfold in and around Trafalgar Square from noon-6 p.m. March 16. Stalls offering food and drink flank the main stage upon which Irish acts including Kila, Women in Harmony, Rag-CV and others perform. The Irish Creative Collective Sessions area offers a lineup of comedy, music, spoken word, TV and film shorts, while basic dancing steps will be taught at the Irish Dance Zone. A parade made up of floats, marching bands, dance troupes and other acts gets underway from Hyde Park at noon. Online: tinyurl.com/yk5aeh57
Munich, Germany: What’s billed as the biggest St. Patrick’s Day celebration on the European mainland has been taking place in Munich since 1996. On March 15-16, Bavarian and Irish cultural traditions will come together once again at an open-air festival at Odeonsplatz from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. March 15 and from noon-6 p.m. on March 16. A variety of acts take to the stage, from traditional Irish folk artists to dance ensembles, while numerous stands serve up Irish-inspired food and drink. The highlight of festivities comes in the form of the parade on March 16. At noon, some 70 different groups, from rugby players to costumed leprechauns, will start off along the Münchner Freiheit, making their way along a 1.5-mile route along Leopoldstrasse and Ludwigstrasse to Odeonsplatz, as spectators wearing green clothes and quirky accessories cheer them on. Online: tinyurl.com/yzy78ceb
Revelers will take to the streets in Dublin for what is this year a three-day weekend in which to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. (iStock)
Dublin, Ireland: With Monday, March 17 a public holiday, three straight days of festivities in honor of one of the world’s best-known saints are set to enliven the country’s capital. On March 15-16, circus acts will serve up acrobatics and street acts entertain; as evening falls, they will make way for musicians and show bands. A fun fair will be set up along the Custom House Quay. From 2 p.m.-5 p.m. March 17, an interactive Céilí Mór dance will take place on Merrion Square West, led by former Riverdancer and champion step-dancer Dearbhla Lennon.
Dublin’s main event is a parade that gets underway from Parnell Square at noon on March 17. Some half million spectators typically turn out for the chance to see the floats, bands, folk groups and thousands of other costumed marchers. The theme of this year’s parade, Eachtraí (Adventures), celebrates the adventurous spirit of the Irish people and their ability to transform fear into courage. Online: stpatricksfestival.ie
St. Patrick’s Day celebrations are not confined to Dublin. Other cities that do up the day in a big way include Cork (parade, live trad and folk music); Derry/Londonderry (spring carnival parade, street performers); Killarney (music festival, rubber duck race and parade); Waterford (parade, river cruises, whiskey tastings); Belfast (music festival, trad trail, parade); Limerick (international band championships, concerts, street performers); and Kilkenny, where the Kilkenny Tradfest music festival takes place simultaneously. Online: tinyurl.com/54e49x3w
No way to get to Ireland on such short notice? There’s plenty of reason to visit Ireland in all seasons. Some of the top events for 2025 include:
Bloomsday: On June 16 each year, Dublin’s streets turn back in time to 1904, the day upon Irish author James Joyce set his novel Ulysses. Fans of literature retrace the steps of the book’s fictional hero Leopold Bloom wearing costumes of the day.
Fleadh Cheoil: Traditional music rings out night and day in Wexford Town from Aug. 3-10.
Dublin Beer Festival: Craft beer brewers from Ireland and beyond pour their tasty concoctions to a soundtrack of live music at the RDS Sept. 12-13.
Galway International Oyster and Seafood Festival: The palate’s in for a treat at this culinary festival in which seafood is served up simply and freshly caught Sept. 26-28.
Guinness Jazz Festival Cork: A diverse range of jazz in all its styles, along with hip-hop, R&B, dance music and more performed by top Irish and international acts, unfolds Oct. 23-27.
