St. Patrick's Day - Where Are You Celebrating?

• By: Editor
• On: 05/Mar/2009
• In: Travel tips

Ireland – Obviously, the most colourful, vibrant and collective St. Patrick’s Day Festivals are taking place in towns and cities all over Ireland. It is a great day for all of the family to enjoy the wonderful parades, pageants and free family entertainment! Visit the attached blog for more about The Top St. Patrick’s Day Parades in Ireland.

The feast day commemorating one of Ireland’s most iconic people is a day of celebration in Ireland and for the Irish diaspora around the world. There are St. Patricks Day Festivals to be found in the following countries:

UK - Most of the major cities like London, Liverpool, Birmingham, Glasgow and Manchester in the UK have a St. Patrick’s Day Festival parade. In fact, Manchester has its own Irish Festival, which runs for the duration of the St. Patricks day weekend, and it is a chance for people to celebrate their Irishness!

Italy - You will find St. Patrick's Day festivals and entertainment in many parts of Italy, especially in the north, and in the Irish pubs! Florence hosts a festival called the 'Festa Irlandese’ which has around 10 days of live music and dancing, together with Irish themed food and drink. Rome holds the Irish Celtic Ball around the time of the 17th March, and you can enjoy visits to Irish pubs, with Irish food and drink, and traditional Irish music and dancing!

USA and Canada – Many cities in the USA have their own St. Patricks Day Parade, notably the New York City parade, which is known to have 150,000 participants in the parade! Other major US cities that have St. Patrick’s Day Festivals include Boston, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Chicago, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Kansas City! The longest running St. Patrick's Day parade in Canada takes place in Montreal. The 2008 parade was the 185th - the first Montreal parade took place in 1824. Toronto also holds an impressive parade for St. Patrick’s Day.

Australia and New Zealand – St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated in Australia and New Zealand. The Sydney St. Patrick’s Day Festival attracts huge crowds from the Irish diaspora and non-Irish people too! The New Zealand city of Auckland is estimated to have 20% of its population with an Irish background, and the city runs a popular festival, now in its 15th year!

South Africa – Cape Town has its own St. Patrick’s Day Festival for the Irish community in the area. The Irish South African Association organizes annually a St. Patricks Day Dinner and Dance for Irish emigrants.

Visit the attached blog for more about St. Patrick’s Day Festivals at Home and Abroad. If you are lucky enough to be in Ireland for the day, then as the saying goes, "There is no place like home", especially when enjoying the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations!

So, wherever you are celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, you will need a car to get around, book Nova Car Hire with instant confirmation on your car hire reservation.

Have you any tips on where it is best to celebrate St. Patricks Day? Have you been to St. Patrick's Day Festivals around the world, apart from Ireland?  If you know of any events that are happening in your area please let us know – we appreciate your comments!