What to do in Dublin on St Patricks Day 2025
The world becomes Irish on St. Patrick’s Day and celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland is a bucket list dream come true. St Patrick’s Day in Dublin is like nowhere else in the world. The city expects over 500,000 tourists to be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin.
When is St. Patrick’s Day in 2024? St. Patrick’s Day will be celebrated on Friday, March 14, 2025 – Thursday, March 17, 2025.
There will be the Dublin St. Patrick’s Day parade and a myriad of special events celebrating St. Patrick across Ireland and yes even in the North there are St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
The Irish celebrating St. Patrick’s Day can be found everywhere from Merida Mexico to being in Chicago watching the river turn green. You can hit up New York for their amazing parade or sip some green beer in Australia.
Is it worth going to Dublin for St Patricks day? Celebrating St Patricks day Dublin is the dream of many an Irish ex-pat, but just a word of warning here you will find it very expensive to get a hotel room in Dublin for the celebrations.
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FAQS all you need to know about celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin
What is the St. Patrick’s Festival in Dublin?
The St. Patrick’s Festival in Dublin is an annual celebration of Irish culture and heritage, centered around St. Patrick’s Day, which is celebrated on March 17. The festival features a variety of events, including the famous day parade, live music performances, street parties, and cultural exhibitions. In 2024, the festival in Dublin will showcase the vibrant spirit of the city and its people, welcoming visitors from around the world to experience the festivities.
When does the St. Patrick’s Parade and Festival take place in 2025?
The 2024 St. Patrick’s Festival will take place from March 14 to March 17, culminating in the spectacular St. Patrick’s Day parade on March 17. Visitors can enjoy a series of events leading up to the main celebrations, making it an exciting day in Dublin and an excellent opportunity to immerse themselves in Irish culture.
What can I expect at the St. Patrick’s Day parade?
The day parade in Dublin is one of the highlights of the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Expect a colorful procession featuring elaborate floats, vibrant costumes, and lively marching bands from around the world. The parade winds through the city center, showcasing the creativity and talent of performers and participants. It’s an occasion that brings together locals and tourists alike for a memorable experience.
How can I get to Dublin for the St. Patrick’s Festival?
Traveling to Dublin for the St. Patrick’s Festival is convenient, particularly via Dublin Airport, which is well-connected to major cities worldwide. Once you arrive, you can use public transport, taxis, or rideshare services to reach your accommodation in the city centre. It’s advisable to book your travel and stay in advance, as many visitors flock to the city for this raucous festival.
What are some must-see events during the festival?
Aside from the St. Patrick’s Day parade, there are numerous events throughout the festival in Dublin. Highlights include the Festival Quarter, located in the heart of the city, featuring live Irish music, food stalls, and cultural displays. Additionally there will be all sorts of pub celebrations in Temple Bar St Patrick’s Day.
St Patrick’s Day Tours
Saint Patricks Day – 4 Day Tour from Dublin: There’s no better place to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day than Ireland and festivities in Dublin last for an entire five days. This 4-day tour ensures an unforgettable St Patrick’s Day experience with a local guide on-hand to ensure you don’t miss anything. Party like a local at a traditional dance, attend the famous St Patrick’s Day parade, visit sights including the Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough, and the Guinness Brewery; and enjoy an open-air bus tour of Dublin.
St. Patrick’s Day Festival at the Guinness Storehouse: Skip-the-Line Entrance Ticket: Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at one of Ireland’s most visited attractions, the Guinness Storehouse, during its 4-day festival with this skip-the-line admission ticket. Choose to visit on your preferred date between March 14th and 17th, and bypass the main entrance lines. From live Irish music to food infused with Guinness and, of course, tastings of the world’s most famous stout brewed right in Dublin, there’s so much to take advantage of.
15 Tips for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin
1 Where to stay in Dublin. Don’t forget that the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Dublin and St. Patrick’s Day events in Dublin bring in over 500,000 people. Book your hotel room way in advance and stay in Dublin if you can find a hotel. I’ve personally stayed in the Maldron Hotel on Kevin Street which is right in the City Centre and brilliantly convenient for walking Dublin, not to mention it’s a great hotel.
In some cases, folks have been turned away even with a reservation because rooms are as scarce as hen’s teeth in Dublin on St. Patrick’s Day.
2 Don’t drive, usually a good piece of advice for Dublin anyways but you won’t be able to move a vehicle during the parade and parking costs may kill you.
3 Don’t forget the Irish like a drink or two, doesn’t matter if it is tea, coffee or Guinness the Irish will be drinking in full force today and there will be many scenes of drunken merriment and mayhem. Over St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin over 15 million pints of Guinness will be drunk. As pubs in Dublin stay open until 1:30 am, you can expect to carry on right all night.
15 of the most famous pubs in Dublin to have a St. Paddy’s Day drink.
4 Two drinks not to order – a green beer and an Irish Car Bomb. That last one is just insensitive to the max.
5 Don’t call it St. Patty’s Day. Patty is the female version of Patricia. It is St. Paddy’s Day.
6 Do get out and find some authentic Irish food but don’t forget you won’t find corned beef and cabbage here. This is a U.S dish, not an Irish one. However, make sure you head out for some traditional Irish food like boxty, soda bread, Irish stew and other favourites.
7 Don’t forget your comfortable walking shoes, the parade is huge, long and there will be loads of people stepping on your toes.
8 The “wearing of the green” is a must or you may get pinched. On St Patrick’s Day Dublin, it is customary to “dress the part” and wear some green. From shamrocks to hats, full leprechaun costumes to simply being dressed head to toe in green. The “wearing of the green” is an Irish custom that goes way back. St Patrick is said to have used the shamrock, in his stories to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish
If you don’t wear green you may literally get “pinched” as it is said that you must wear green because green makes you invisible to leprechauns. If a leprechaun sees you, if you don’t wear green, they will pinch you.
9 Do be prepared the St. Patrick’s Day Festival in Dublin will last for 5 days and you will be going from dawn to well after dusk. If you need a great spot to watch the Parade buy some Grandstand tickets in advance. The massive parade runs from north to south through the city, crossing the River Liffey at O’Connell Street.
Dublin St. Patricks day parade
Grandstand tickets for St. Patrick’s Festival Parade, 2025 are ON SALE NOW!!!
10 You can purchase Grandstand tickets for 8 different grandstands through ticketbooth which is linked above.
These are all great places to view the parade of floats, marching bands, and pageants, as the street is wide and there’s plenty of space – but you can still expect it to be crowded by the time the parade starts!
You can then watch the parade from a covered seated area near Parnell Square, O’Connell Bridge, O’Connell Street, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Parnell Square, Westmoreland Street or Christchurch Cathedral. Now those tickets may set you back up to €70 euros but given the crowds, it could be a worthwhile purchase.
11 Don’t forget to get out and see the Greening of Dublin. The City lights up its iconic buildings with beautiful green light displays at night.
12 Don’t miss taking in a trad music session. These will be taking place in virtually every pub, club and even on Grafton street where the buskers will be out in force. You will see Irish dancing, music and singing to delight your ears.
13 Do attend a Church service to honour the patron Saint of Ireland. Masses and events will be held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Christchurch Cathedral to celebrate the day.
14 Don’t miss the Leprechaun Museum, not so much a museum as an immersive storytelling experience. Talented guides will tell you all kinds of tales about Irish folklore and legends. Learn about leprechauns, the Tuatha de Daanan, and of course the Irish fairies. This will delight both you and the kids.
15 Do remember that it is a national holiday so banks, Post Offices and government offices will all be closed so their staff can get out and celebrate.
Above all else do remember that this is a country-wide celebration and time to make merry and enjoy the craic.
If you are of a mind learn some rebel songs and old Irish tunes and join in with the music and singing. There will be singing, lots of it along with dancing on chairs and tables. The RA songs will come out and locally (like here in Donegal) there will be a lot of the old songs at full volume.
Dinner and a Show
The show at the Arlington Hotel O’Connell Bridge is a lively mix of pulsating traditional Irish dance rhythms, jaw-dropping footwork and legendary Irish songs. Celtic Nights takes to the stage 7 nights per week, offering the very best in Irish Cultural Entertainment. Located in the heart of Dublin city, next to the famous O’Connell Bridge overlooking the river Liffey, this show is choreographed for maximum audience participation and full family entertainment.
It includes World Championship dancers and All-Ireland-winning musicians showcasing some of Ireland’s ‘sean nos’ (old style) Irish dance & the famous Brush Dance and the night includes 3 Course Traditional Irish Dinner.
Who Was St. Patrick?
So why is it such a big deal to be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin? Well, St Patrick is the Patron Saint of Ireland who ministered to the pagans and helped bring Christianity to Ireland in the 5th Century.
Celebrations and events take place all around Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day. For some, it is a Christian pilgrimage for others it is just some great craic and a good party. From Belfast to the tip of the country in Kerry you will find parades, festivals, and events of all kinds.
One of the pilgrimages that take place is to St Patrick’s Purgatory, which is on Station Island in Lough Derg Donegal. This is where it is said that St. Patrick had a vision promising that everyone who visited the sanctuary “in penitence and faith” would receive a pardon for their sins. Who could resist that?
Lough Derg Sanctuary
St. Patrick is of course not Irish and was born in England. He was captured by Romans and brought to Ireland as a slave in the 5th century. When he escaped from slavery he returned to England where he became a priest like his father and grandfather. He later returned to Ireland to bring the wild pagans Christianity.
Legend has it that St. Patrick removed the snakes from Ireland, but there have been no snakes in Ireland since before the ice age. This probably relates to him driving out the Druids and pagan customs of worshipping the serpent or “snake” gods. St. Patrick’s day, of course, falls on what is considered the anniversary of his death.
He is said to be buried under Down Cathedral in Downpatrick, Ireland.
Celebrating St. Patrick’s Festival around the world
French Fête de la Saint-Patrick
German St. Patrick’s Day
Irish Lá Fhéile Pádraig
Norwegian St. Patricks dag
Spanish Día de San Patricio
In 1903, celebrating St Patrick’s Day in Dublin and the rest of Ireland became an official public holiday in Ireland and the Irish have celebrated it with a vengeance ever since. This is a day of great craic, parades, drinking, feasting, storytelling and music all over the country.
Even in N. Ireland, the celebrations in both Belfast and Derry are outstanding but the truly epic celebration of St. Patrick’s Day is in Dublin.
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So what are your plans for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin?
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