St. Patrick’s day is known originally as the “Festival of Patrick” which is a cultural and religious holiday celebrated on the death date of Saint Patrick in 461 AD. These days, people see St. Patty’s day as a holiday to wear green, show your true Irish roots and binge drink.
Philadelphia has six bar crawls set up throughout the week of St. Patrick’s day starting Mar. 11 going all the way up until the 17. Most of these bar crawls go on all day and even have a couple offered in the morning for brunch specials.
Philadelphia does not stop there. They have a parade for people of all ages to celebrate the holiday. The FOX 29 team has been a huge supporter of the event and televises it with their partner CBS3.
Philadelphia sports teams will also be hosting events for the holiday on Mar. 20. As the Philadelphia Union challenge FC Dallas in a soccer match, they will be offering an Irish themed package of tickets which includes a limited edition Irish heritage T-shirt. The game will kick off at 7 p.m.
Locally there are many smaller St. Patty’s day events such as the Havertown Erin Express. “The Havertown Erin Express is a day filled with fun and excitement as patrons travel from bar to bar to meet up with friends and family to enjoy a few cold ones while celebrating the Irish heritage” Anthony Jones, J.D. McGillicuddy’s bartender, said.
For the people under the legal drinking age, there are still many events to attend as high schools will be performing Irish dances, and local restaurants will have a menu based around Irish culture and cuisine. There will also be different concerts and an Irish Memorial for St. Patrick.
Families around the area also will take on their own festivities hosting parties and dinners to celebrate their family’s Irish roots. The cuisine usually consists of corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, shepherd’s pie and lots of Guinness.
“I will be heading home to a feast of Irish delicacies cooked by my mom going back to her Irish roots,” Ryan Hagan, sophomore accounting major, said.
St. Patrick’s Day in Philadelphia is highly anticipated as everyone in the city of brotherly love bands together to celebrate the people with Irish heritage throughout the city. If you will be a passerby in the city this weekend or next, expect a lot of green drinks and make sure to be in your best Irish spirit.
