The Best St. Patrick’s Day Activities For a Day Full of Fun
These ideas are better than a pot of gold. Check these ideas out from Woman’s Day Magazine.
You don’t have to be Irish to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. People of all backgrounds enjoy getting dressed up to go to the parade or grab a few rounds of Guinness with friends. If you’re looking for a new set of traditions (hey, it’s OK to outgrow running around town in a “Kiss Me I’m Irish” t-shirt), here are a few fun ways to celebrate on March 17 this year.
1. Make a St. Patrick’s Day craft.
Your little leprechauns will love making these easy shamrock-shaped plates, wreaths, and hats using affordable materials. The best part? Your finished products will leave you with cute holiday decorations to spread around the house.
2. Bake something green.
We don’t know about you, but starting the day off with Green Velvet Silver Dollar Pancakes and ending it with sweet Lucky Charm Cookies sounds like the perfect way to ring in the holiday.
3. Watch a holiday-inspired movie.
Move over, Christmas movies. Why aren’t St. Patrick’s Day movies more of a thing? Here are our movie picks if you want to spend the night celebrating at home with an Irish float. If you ask us, that’s particularly appealing this year, since the holiday falls on a weekday.
4. Make St. Patrick’s Day cards.
Cards are one of the easiest ways to brighten someone’s day, even if it’s for a holiday you don’t normally dish out cards for. The options are endless: Make some for your grandparents, people at your church, or the kids at the local hospital, and you’ll bring smiles to many faces on March 17th.
5. Plan a scavenger hunt.
Test your luck this year by setting up a scavenger hunt with friends, family, and the kids. You can hide treats around the house with clues and, who knows, you just may win the pot of gold!
6. Brush up on your Irish-American history.
According to the United States Census Bureau, 33.1 million Americans claim Irish ancestry. There are a ton of online resources for learning about Irish culture, like Cultural Atlas, Irish Central, and more. You can also pay a visit to one of the institutions dedication to preserving Irish culture, like the Irish American History Museum in Albany, New York, Irish American Heritage Center in Chicago, the Irish American Museum of Washington D.C., or New York’s American Irish Historical Society for educational exhibits and St. Patrick’s Day events.
7. Listen to Irish poetry.
Ireland has birthed some of history’s most renowned poets. Luckily, you can get inspired for free by listening to the audio works of W.B. Yeats, Seamus Heaney, and Samuel Beckett on Spotify.
8. Learn something new.
Invite your significant other to take an Irish cooking class at a local culinary school or a literature class at a nearby university. You’ll bond over your knowledge of lesser-known Dublin delicacies and works by artists like Jonathan Swift, James Joyce, and Oscar Wilde. If you can’t escape to a kitchen or classroom, consider ordering a copy of The Farmette Cookbook: Recipes and Adventures from My Life on an Irish Farm, which features classic Irish recipes made modern, like Irish farmer cheese soufflé.
9. Run a 5K with your family.
Shamrock Scrambles and Leprechaun Leaps offer a healthy tradition on a typically booze-laden event. Cities like Chicago and Boston typically host holiday 5Ks. Join them in your town, and you’ll feel guilt-free when you sit down to enjoy a post-race Irish stew and stout.
10. Listen to Irish music.
Irish music gets the heart going, and there’s nothing like seeing it live. Grab your dancing partner and head to a live show. In Raleigh, North Carolina, check out the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival site to find out which bands will play on the Shamrock ‘n Roll stage. If you’re not near any of the aforementioned events, ring your local Irish pubs and ask about any traditional entertainment they may have planned.
11. Give to a green cause.
Concern Worldwide is one of the largest international charities based in Ireland that provides food, shelter, and healthcare to those in need. Consider donating water or supplies at ConcernGifts.org.
12. Have an Irish Coffee.
If you’re not a Guinness girl, Irish Coffees make the tastiest — and most festive — cocktails to drink on March 17th. Try this delicious recipe, which features brown sugar for extra sweetness. There’s a healthy amount of Irish whiskey in here to keep you toasty, so savor it slowly.
13. Or have a Guinness
Guinness really is the official drink of St. Patrick’s Day. Whether or not you’re usually into the stout beer, indulge in a pint this holiday and toast to your Irish roots. If you haven’t had one in a while, you’ll be reminded of how creamy and delicious they are when poured fresh from the tap.
14. Take an Irish dancing class
Irish step dancing is a completely unique and recognizable style of dancing. If you’re in it to break a sweat and try a fun new way of working out, or you’re looking to really hone a new skill, an Irish step class is a fun way to try something new and get out of your comfort zone on St. Patty’s.
15. Go to a whiskey tasting
Irish whiskey is hugely popular these days. Sales of the drink generated $1 billion in revenue in 2018, according to the Distilled Spirits Council. And could there be a better time to try out the trend than St. Patrick’s Day? We think not. Find a local Irish whiskey tasting in your area and prepare to become the whiskey connoisseur you always knew you could be.
16. Search for four-leaf clovers
Take the kids on an adventure in search of lucky four-leaf clovers. They’ll be endlessly entertained searching through a clover field to find the lucky ones, and it’s a good way to get outside and get the imagination wandering.
17. Listen to some of your favorite Irish singers
Ireland is home to many famous singers, and a great way to pay tribute to the holiday is to dance around your house or belt out some tunes sung by your favorite Irish artists. Some singers to put on your St. Patty’s Day playlist: Hozier, Niall Horan, Bono, Sinead O’Connor, and Van Morrison.
By NICOL NATALE Assistant Editor – Currently an assistant editor at Prevention.com, Nicol is a Manhattan-based journalist who specializes in health, wellness, beauty, fashion, business, and lifestyle.