8 of the best places to celebrate St Patrick's Day outside of Ireland

13.03.2024 - 21:19 / lonelyplanet.com

With a diaspora in the millions, Ireland’s national holiday has become an international phenomenon. 

People all over the world — Irish and not — take to the streets to celebrate St Patrick’s Day on March 17, as cities host colorful parades, traditional music sessions and raucous street parties in honor of the Irish patron saint. 

If you can’t make it to Dublin, these destinations are the next best thing for donning your green and joining in the festivities.

While Québec is known for its French heritage, nearly 40% of the population are said to have Irish ancestry, and Canadians have long observed St Patrick’s Day with great enthusiasm. The earliest celebration in Montréal – a city with a shamrock as part of its flag – dates back to 1759. Today, it is marked with a vibrant three-hour procession of marching bands, elaborate floats and costumed revelers, helmed by a giant figure of St Patrick himself. The route down Sainte-Catherine St is surrounded by cozy Irish pubs to keep the party going long after the parade has wrapped up.

Bavarians already have their own boozy celebration – Oktoberfest – so it’s hardly a surprise that they’ve readily embraced another one. Munich has observed Paddy’s Day for nearly three decades now, with three days of city-wide festivities culminating in an impressive procession and international street food festival in central Odeonsplatz. Munich prides itself on being a hive of musical activity, and the program is packed with live performances.

“There are ceilidh bands, rock bands, folk bands, classical Irish — there’s a whole variety of music, it really reflects the Irish population,” says Paul Daly, a Dubliner who co-founded the Munich event in 1996 and attends each year. “It’s not just a big drinking thing either. The parade is more of a family event and it appeals to all age groups. It’s a great time to come and enjoy the craic.”

The official Munich St Patrick’s Day celebrations sometimes kick off the weekend before March 17, so check ahead of time to ensure you don’t miss out on any of the revelry.

It’s the granddaddy of all St Patrick’s Day parades: first held in 1762 — a full 14 years before the United States declared independence from Britain — the annual spectacle now draws around two million visitors. New York is home to more than half a million Irish-Americans, and the proud marchers have always been the stars of the event: no floats or cars are allowed along the route, which runs up Fifth Avenue past St Patrick’s Cathedral.

Dubliner Tadgh Bolger was one of the 150,000 who marched in the New York parade a few years ago, when Ireland’s national lacrosse team was invited to participate. “The scale and size of it was absolutely incredible; unlike anything I’ve seen pretty much