St. Patrick’s Day originated to honor the fifth-century death of the saint. The Irish have been observing this religious holiday for over 1,000 years on the 17th of March by drinking, dancing and eating a traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage. In a city with such a rich, Irish culture, it’s no surprise that March 17th is a big day in Boston, but don’t expect everyone to be celebrating with just the traditional bacon and cabbage meal––St. Patrick’s day in the Hub has become a day (or week, really) of festivities for Bostonians of all backgrounds to get decked out in green and drink some Guinness and Jameson. While there’s certainly no shortage of St. Paddy’s Day activities to take part in around Boston, here’s a list of some of our favorite festivities to check out this year.
Dropkick Murphys St. Patrick’s Day Tour at the House of Blues – March 14-16
While the first two Boston shows sold out in less than five minutes, you can still (while they last!) get your hands on tickets to Dropkick’s Wednesday night show at the House of Blues. A St. Paddy’s day tradition for both the band and their fans, the Irish-punk group returns to their home state each year for a set of shows around the holiday that, as quoted from the DKM website, “are the peak of the band’s touring calendar, and every year fans from all over the world travel to Boston just for a chance to become part of this unique experience.” Limited tickets for the Wednesday night show are still available on livenation.
BarCrawls.com’s Shamrock Shuffle – March 17
From noon to 9pm, spend your St. Paddy’s Day on this Irish bar crawl! Register for $20 (or pay $25 for an all-access pass that gets you specials on Friday too) and get drinks specials all day at all participating pubs, including the Hard Rock and Kitty O’Shea’s. One of Boston.com’s St. Patrick’s Day event picks, this is a great chance to get decked out in green and hit the bars with your friends for a fun and memorable event. Tickets are on sale now on barcrawls.com and will also be available the day of the event.
The Boston Irish Heritage Trail
Take an educational approach to celebrating St. Patrick’s Day this year by taking a tour of Boston’s Irish heritage trail. With stops at City Hall, the John Copley statue and Fenway Park, this tour will teach you the impact and significance of Irish culture in our city. Visit the Boston Irish Tourism Association page for information on rates and registration.
Ras na hEireann 5k Race – March 18
For all you runners out there, this annual Somerville St. Patrick’s day race is sure to be a great way to cap off your weekend of festivities. Based of a traditional cross-country race in Ireland, Ras na hEireann has become a fun tradition in Boston where runners can show off their Irish spirit and even take part in a pub crawl after the race. As one HC staffer who’s running this year added, “it should be a great photo op, as costumes are highly encouraged.” Registration is limited, so sign up soon before all the spots are filled!
South Boston Parade – March 18
Possibly one of the most popular and well-known St. Patrick’s Day activities in town, the Southie parade is a holiday tradition for more than 600,000 Bostonians of all ages. Starting on West Broadway, the parade features Boston icons like Duck Boats, bagpipes, and of course lots and lots of green! The parade starts at 1pm, so get there early to stake out your viewing spot!
Images:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/local/
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/gallery/st_pats_parade_031608/