Celebrate the Luck of the Irish in San Francisco
Ahhh, St. Patrick’s Day: the time of year where everyone continues the childhood tradition of pinching anyone you see that had the bad luck of forgetting to wear green. Every year on March 17th, except on rare occasions when it happens to fall during Holy Week, people dig way down deep into their genealogy to proclaim themselves Irish and join in on the festivities. Although the day was originally intended to be a religious day of feasting in honor of the patron saint of Ireland, it has since evolved into a day of embracing and celebrating the Irish culture. The St. Paddy’s Day festivities of today usually include parades, music and dancing, Irish cuisine, and copious amounts of the color green.
Even if you weren’t “lucky” enough to be born into a family tree that is deeply rooted in Ireland, you can still join in on all the fun. “Lucky” for you, there are plenty of events and activities around the Bay Area that will allow you to pull out your “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” shirt and experience one of those green beers you’ve probably heard so much about.
Saint Patricks’ Day Parade and Festival
Drawing crowds of 100,000 people or more each year, this parade and festival is one of the largest St. Paddy’s Day celebrations in the country. Because of the massive amount of people that come out to take part in or experience the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival, they actually have to hold it on the weekend. Otherwise, it would be quite difficult to manage all of the traffic and people during a regular workday!
During the course of the parade, you’ll be treated to the sounds of bagpipes or Irish music played by other local bands and groups that can’t help but put you in the Irish spirit. Also, there will be several Irish dance companies from around the Bay Area as well as members of the fire and police departments, politicians, and recognized San Francisco officials. The parade itself starts around 11:30am at 2nd and Market Streets and ends about two hours later at the Civic Center Plaza.
You’ll be happy to know that you don’t have to worry about the fun ending once the parade is over! In fact, the St. Patrick’s Day Festival will start before the parade does and go on until 5 pm. They split the festival into two sections: the adult-oriented area with the beer and the kid’s area. The main area is where you’ll find beer booths offering light beer, Guinness, and Irish coffee as well as traditional Irish pub fare like Bangers and Fish & Chips. There will also be several different local Irish bands playing on the main stage throughout the day. The kids area will ensure the younger members of your group enjoy themselves just as much as the grown-ups thanks to loads of candy, games, and other fun activities.
North Beach Pub Crawl
Surely you didn’t expect us to write about St. Paddy’s day festivities without including a pub crawl, did you? With the North Beach Pub Crawl, it isn’t exclusive to St. Patrick’s Day, so if you miss it, you can always come back another night. What’s so unique about this pub crawl is that while you will be able to enjoy a few alcoholic beverages along the way, you’re also able to experience the unique nightlife that North Beach is known for.
This two and a half our pub crawl/walking tour is led by a friendly and knowledgeable guide through some of the best in bohemian bars that the Bay Area is known for. The walking tour starts out at Vesuvio Café where you can try an Anchor Steam Ale, a beer that has been produced locally since 1896. Before the end of the tour, you’ll have visited a bar that claims to be the oldest pub in San Francisco, had the chance to try your hand at karaoke, and stopped into an Italian café for an espresso before ending the night in Washington Square.
Now, we all know that St. Paddy’s day is known for beer and Irish whiskey, so make sure everyone is able to enjoy the day and night as much as possible while still being able to get home safely. Before heading off to your destination of choice, be sure to designate a driver or reserve a Bay Area car service for the evening. With a party bus, stretch Cadillac Escalade, or Chrysler 300 Limo from Angel Worldwide Transportation, you can keep the party going all night long while still being able to get home safely at the end of the night.
Image Credit: freedigitalphotos.net/Ron Bird
