Let’s face it: St. Patrick’s Day is pretty great. You get to wear green and eat soda bread and drink Guinness. Of course, the best place to celebrate is in Ireland, but in case you can’t make it this year, here are the top locations for St. Patrick’s festivities across the USA.
St. Patrick's Day in Boston, MA
Aside from the obvious reason (Massachusetts is home to the country’s largest Irish population) Boston boasts the world’s first recorded St. Patrick’s Day parade, beating out Dublin, Ireland by almost 200 years. Each year, almost a million people attend the parade which is, of course, followed by the requisite green-beered festivities.
St. Patrick's Day in New York, NY
Boston may win for oldest parade, but New York City beats it easily when it comes to attendance. It’s estimated that around two million people attend this 6-hour extravaganza each year. Bonus fact: the parade was first organized in 1762 by Irish soldiers in the British army.
St. Patrick's Day in Chicago, IL
Chicago has a parade, of course, but it also has a little something to set it apart from the crowd. The first parade took place in 1843, but since the 1962 the city has taken on the tradition of dyeing the Chicago River green. While the original method of coloring the water wasn’t exactly safe for the environment, rest assured that today’s dye is fish-friendly.
St. Patrick's Day in Savannah, GA
Savannah might be one of the country’s most polite cities, but don’t take that to mean it doesn’t know how to party! The city has been celebrating St. Patrick’s Day since 1813 and it’s annual celebration draws a crowd of around 500,000. Don’t miss the Historic Park District, where the city takes a cue from Chicago and dyes the fountains green.
St. Patrick's Day in San Francisco, CA
If you’re on the West coast, look no further than San Francisco for your St. Patrick’s Day festivities. The city’s parade originated in 1852 and is still going strong. Top that off with a three-day Irish pub crawl and you’ve got yourself a party.
