Green Beer, the Southie Parade, and JFK: St. Patrick’s Day Fun Around Boston
We’ve got your Irish fun right here.
No amount of snow could stop the city of Boston from celebrating St. Patrick’s Day — not even 100-plus inches. Volunteers were asked to help shovel the route leading up to the highly anticipated South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade, taking place Sunday at 1 p.m.
But if you aren’t a parade-goer, no worries. There are plenty of other things going on. Most events below are happening in Boston, but the green day fun stretches from a dinner theater on the Cape to a pot of gold hidden in the mountains of Maine. Enjoy!
For (Irish) History Buffs:
You’ll visit the statue of President John F. Kennedy on this Irish tour.
Step back in time while discovering Boston’s Irish roots through a guided tour of the Boston Irish Heritage Trail.
The Boston Irish Tourism Association will take you on a 75 to 90-minute walk through 300 years of Boston’s Irish history. You’ll stop at the statues of President John F. Kennedy and Boston mayors James M. Curley and Kevin White. You’ll see the memorial to the Boston Massacre, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, and learn the Irish role in the Revolutionary War.
Boston’s Irish Heritage Trail tour, March 13, 14, 15, and 17 at 1 p.m. Tour meets at Visitor Information Center on Boston Common. $15 per adult, $12 for students, seniors, and military. Kids under 12 free. www.irishmassachusetts.com.
For Kids:
[fragment number=0]
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the kiddos by taking them to the Boston Children’s Museum, where they’ll witness live Irish dancing by performers from the Keane O’Brien Academy of Irish Dance in Braintree. Kids will also listen to Irish folktales and create shamrocks and other festive crafts.
Boston Children’s Museum, 308 Congress St., March 15, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. $14 for adults and children, kids under 12 months free. www.bostonchidlrensmuseum.org.
For Comedy Lovers:
Laugh with Mike Donovan at Boston Irish Comedians Saturday.
Laugh with Irish comedians Steve Sweeney, Joey Carroll, Jack Lynch, and Mike Donovan at the Best of Boston Comedy Festival — Irish Edition.
Popular Boston comic Sweeney, born in Charlestown, will be the master of ceremonies at this laughfest. Donovan, born in Boston, is a regular headliner in Atlantic City and Las Vegas. Lynch, a 16-year veteran of the Boston comedy scene, is famous for his impressions and sarcasm. Carroll is known for his clean observational jokes. Will any topic be off-limits as these men regale showgoers with tales of growing up Irish? We hope not!
CityStage, One Columbus Center, Springfield. March 14 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $27. www.symphonyhall.com.
For Drama Seekers:
[fragment number=1]
Bring your appetite and your A-game to this interactive dinner theater performance.
That’s because you just might become part of the show at the Celtic comedy “Finnegan’s Wake.’’ That’s right, audience members are routinely thrust into the script of this drama when they are asked to salute the dearly departed with a joke, song, or dance.
Cape Codder Resort, Hyannis, March 14, John Carver Inn & Spa, Plymouth, March 14 and 21, 7 p.m. $59.99 per person for dinner and show; $135 for dinner, show, and overnight stay; $25 for show only. www.capecodderresort.com.
For Parade Lovers:
[fragment number=2]
Billed as the second-largest parade in the country, the South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade is expected to draw up to 1 million visitors.
What’s more, for the first time in decades, Boston’s mayor will march in the parade, ending a 20-year controversy over allowing openly gay marchers. U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, who served four tours in Iraq as a Marine, will march with OUTVETS, an organization that honors lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender military veterans. Gov. Charlie Baker will join Mayor Marty Walsh at the celebration.
The parade route has been shortened this year due to snow banks that have turned two-way streets into one-way streets. The parade will begin at Broadway Station and end at Farragut Road.
South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade, March 15, 1 p.m., in South Boston. It’s free. www.southbostonparade.org.
For Bar Hoppers:
Grab a green beer at Cheers.
Faneuil Hall is going green Monday and Tuesday as the streets and bars come alive with Irish music and festive celebrations.
Visit an Irish ice sculpture for a photo and some swag. Head to Durgin Park for corned beef and cabbage, and listen to live music by the Patsy Whelan Band and Black Rose Band (and catch a performance from some Irish step dancers too) at Ned Devine’s Irish Pub.
Oh, and don’t forget to order a green beer at Cheers!
Faneuil Hall Marketplace; March 16: 2 to 7 p.m.; March 17: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Boston. www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com.
For Ski Bums:
Hunt for a “pot of gold’’ at Saddleback Mountain in Maine.
If your idea of seeing green on St. Paddy’s Day is seeing more dollars in your pocket by saving money on lift tickets, you are in luck. Several resorts are offering $17 lift tickets on Tuesday only. Hit the slopes on St. Patrick’s Day, and pay just $17 at Bretton Woods, Attitash, Wildcat, and Ragged Mountain in New Hampshire, and also Sugarbush’s Mt. Ellen in Vermont.
Other mountains, like Saddleback Mountain in Rangeley, Maine, are offering fun St. Patrick’s Day activities this weekend. Saddleback will not only host kid-friendly activities all day, but will hide a “pot of gold’’ on the mountain in the form of a 2015-16 season pass. Who will have the luck of the Irish and find it?
For the Guinness Obsessed:
Have breakfast with RadioBDC at The Black Rose.
Would you like some breakfast with your Guinness? Begin your holiday at The Black Rose in Faneuil Hall by attending the Third-Annual RadioBDC Irish Breakfast, presented by Guinness.
The first 100 revelers through the door get a custom-engraved Guinness pint glass. The Guinness will be flowing and the good times rolling with plenty of giveaways and a live performance by Christian McNeill.
The Black Rose, 160 State St., Boston. March 17, 8 a.m. No cover. www.blackroseboston.com.
For Foodies:
[fragment number=3]
Folks are so excited that celebrity chef Oliver Dunne is coming to Boston to cook for us this St. Patrick’s Day that it was announced via billboard in Times Square.
Dunne, the youngest Michelin Star Chef in Ireland, will cook at Met Back Bay Tuesday night during “An Evening in Eire.’’ He’ll cook a four-course meal that will include lamb, salmon, select samplings from Jameson Irish Whiskey, and more.
Met Back Bay, 279 Dartmouth St., Boston. March 17, 7 p.m. $75 per person. Premium beverage pairing available for $25 per person.www.metbackbay.com.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com