Where to drink, dance, be merry and wear green, all weekend long
This weekend there’s a little Irish in all of us. The region has plenty of dance parties, bar crawls, and shindigs planned to help you go green. And if you’re not in the mood to drown in green beer, there are family-friendly options, too. Choose your St. Patty’s Day event wisely, and don’t forget to stock up on SEPTA tokens — no one wants to be the designated driver this weekend.
ALL WEEKEND
Philadelphia’s Official St. Paddy’s Day Bar Crawl
www.barcrawls.com/philadelphia
March 15, 16, 17, $5 to $35
Are you ready for three days of bar crawling? If not, you can buy tickets for just one day, depending how Irish you want to get. This crawl gets serious with parties hopping from Center City to Northern Liberties to Rittenhouse to South Street. Included in this three-day drink fest is the “Top O’ the Mornin’” breakfast at Tavern on Broad, where dedicated pre-gamers can start their sud-guzzling early with a four-hour open bar that starts at 8 a.m.
SATURDAY
The Leprechaun Run
Philadelphia Navy Yard
9:30 a.m., $25 to $30
If throwing back green beer isn’t for you — or even if it is, but you want to wait until Sunday to do it — there’s the family-friendly Leprechaun Run. This 5-mile run at the Navy Yard helps raise money for the Special Olympics Pennsylvania, and has been doing so since 1984. For those who think five miles sounds daunting (especially on a weekend made for binge drinking) there’s a 2-mile “fun run” just for you.
St. Patty’s Day Celebration at the Piazza
5 to 10 p.m., $20 to $50
You can get your craft beer fix this year at the Piazza, along with a projected 3,000 other happy drinkers. Party in the courtyard, or hang out in Max’s Brew Bar. Either way you’re bound to be surrounded by a bunch of green-clad partiers all looking to make this inaugural event the biggest in the city.
Singles St. Patrick’s Dance Party
Brookside Manor
50 Bustleton Pike
8 p.m. to 12 a.m., $12 to $15
We all know that you don’t have to be Irish to enjoy this holiday. The good news is you don’t have to be a college kid, either. Brookside Manor is hosting a single’s dance party for people ages 40 and up. Escape from the city streets, which will surely be a sea of green, get yourself gussied up, and hit the dance floor.
SUNDAY
Fado Irish Pub
1500 Locust St.
7 a.m., $10 cover
Who knows how to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day better than an Irish pub? Start your day off the way any good Irishman — or woman — might: with a “Pints and Pancakes” breakfast. Then keep the party at Fado. There will be live music throughout the day by Galway Guild and Lima Bean Riot, plus Irish dancers.
St. Patrick’s Day Tour, Toasts, and Tastes
Laurel Hill Cemetery
3822 Ridge Ave.
1 p.m., $17 to $20
We get it, you have a more refined taste, yet you still want to celebrate the spirit of Erin go Bragh. Join the guides at Laurel Hill Cemetery and take a look back at the Irish lives and legends from our area. After the walking tour, head to the cemetery’s Gatehouse for music, food and, of course, libations.
St. Paddy’s Day
with Ladies 2000
Top Dog
2310 W. Marlton Pike
Cherry Hill, N.J.
3 p.m., $10 cover
The women at Ladies 2000, a lesbian event and party group, are putting on the green over in Jersey. You don’t have to know any Irish jigs to join this dance party, either. Just bring your friends and the number to a cab company, because there’s going to be an hour of $1 you-call-it cocktails.
