March 17 is fast approaching, which means it's almost time for my favorite holiday, St. Patrick's Day. I may be a bit biased since March 17 also happens to be my birthday, but there's no denying the excitement that fills the air as green-clad revelers from Dublin to New York City fill the streets to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. If you're lucky enough to find yourself in one of these great cities this time of year, there's plenty to do on and around St. Patrick's Day, especially for sports fans. Let's take a look at some of the biggest St. Patrick's Day celebrations coming up around the world, as well as the price tags associated with these events and some of the sporting events you can catch while in town.
Dublin's St. Patrick's Day Celebration
St. Patrick's Day is a celebration of the patron saint of Ireland, so it's no surprise that the Irish pull out all the stops for this national holiday in their country. Dublin is the Irish capital city, and it's also home to the nation's largest St. Patrick's Day celebration – a multi-day event highlighted by a carnival and parades on St. Patrick's Day itself. The world's largest celebration of Irish culture and heritage will run March 15-18 in 2024, including a commemorative light show the night of Saturday, March 16 to honor the annual St. Patrick's Day Celebration's 40th anniversary.
Dublin is also home to the Guinness Storehouse, dedicated to the beer that has been inextricably tied to Irish culture since shortly after its inception in 1759. Visitors to this seven-story combination brewery, bar, and museum can choose from a standard tour for 20 euros or a variety of upgraded experiences, such as the 95-euro connoisseur experience full of tastings and storytelling, or the Guinness brewery experience for 350 euros, which includes a tour of a brewhouse, underground tunnels and more. The 20-euro standard tour is more than enough to get a worthwhile experience considering it comes with entry to tasting rooms and the gravity bar, as well as a complimentary pint of Guinness. Available booking times include special St. Patrick's festival slots during March 14-17.
Sports fans who find themselves in Ireland during the St. Patrick's festival can also enjoy one of the region's most iconic sporting events during their visit. Ireland are the reigning Six Nations Rugby Championship title holders, and they have a home game against rival Scotland on March 16. The deciding match for Ireland's fate in the tournament will take place at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. The cheapest restricted view tickets cost just over 30 euros, with regular tickets ranging from 65 to 135 euros and premium-level seating coming in at 155 euros.
New York City's St. Patrick's Day Parade
St. Patrick's Day originated in Ireland, but while the festival in Dublin is only 40 years old, the St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York City is older than the United States, dating back to 1762. This year's NYC St. Patrick's Day Parade will take place Saturday, March 16, from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. local time. The parade travels along 5th Avenue, beginning on 44th Street and ending on 79th Street. Viewers can catch the parade from home on NBC 4 New York, but there's no substitute for the vibrance and excitement of attending in person. The parade will be preceded by a special mass, live-streamed from St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. You can order commemorative pins and other St. Patrick's Day memorabilia, with ties and scarves available for $50, and pins ranging from $50 to $187.50. The best bang for the buck on the official NYC St. Patrick's Day Parade website is a $15 booklet titled "A Celebration of Irish Heritage and Service" by Hilary T. Beirne.
Another way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in NYC is to head over to one of the city's numerous Irish pubs, such as Paddy Reilly's, where patrons can enjoy happy hour, live music, and pints of Guinness every day of the week. Sports fans who are in town for the parade Saturday and planning to stick around Sunday for St. Patrick's Day itself are in luck, as they can catch one of New York City's iconic professional sports teams in action Sunday at the world's most famous arena: the New York Rangers have a 1 p.m. Sunday matinee scheduled against the crosstown-rival Islanders at Madison Square Garden. The cheapest resale tickets for this highly anticipated hockey game are going for just under $200, as the Metropolitan Division-leading Rangers are generating buzz from both local fans and tourists in town for the St. Patrick's Day festivities.
Whether it's the luck of the Irish or the skill of the Swedish, Rangers center Mika Zibanejad has thrived on St. Patrick's Day, producing five goals and four assists in four March 17 games as a member of the Rangers. He'll be a player to watch for fans willing to pony up the green to spend part of their St. Patrick's Day at MSG. You can show support for the Rangers and St. Patrick's Day simultaneously by picking up official Rangers St. Patrick's Day gear from the NHL's online shop, and out-of-town hockey fans visiting NYC can get apparel from any of their favorite teams at the NHL's flagship retail store, located Southwest of the St. Patrick's Day Parade at 1 Manhattan West.
Other St. Patrick's Celebrations
New York City isn't the only place one can enjoy a St. Patrick's Day Parade. Chicago, IL, Boston, MA and Savannah, GA also have large parades on St. Patrick's Day, and the same parade that eventually ends up in New York City makes its way through upstate New York prior to coming down to the Big Apple, bringing a festive atmosphere wherever it goes. One city that particularly embraces the arrival of the parade is Binghamton, NY, best known for being the home of Binghamton University, of which legendary sports personality Tony Kornheiser is a proud alumnus, as is yours truly.
SUNY Binghamton's football team is "undefeated since 1946" because it doesn't exist, but the Bearcats' numerous existent Division I NCAA sports teams wear green, so it's fitting that the college's students join the "townies" out in the streets of downtown Binghamton to celebrate Binghamton's Parade Day, which occurs about a week and a half before the Parade makes its way to New York City. Unfortunately, the opportunity to attend this year has already come and gone, but if you're already planning your trip to NYC to celebrate the 264th annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in 2025, look into booking a stop 183 miles away in Binghamton earlier in March. The Parade Day crowds at Binghamton's bars give NYC's Fifth Avenue a run for its money, but anyone looking to save some green while celebrating St. Patrick's Day is definitely better off grabbing a Guinness for a few bucks at a Binghamton State Street bar like Tom and Marty's than paying double the price at an Irish Pub in NYC.
