St. Patrick’s Day arrives soon in San Francisco, and we’re not about to miss a party. Save the date for SF’s famous St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 16 (yes, rain or shine), and keep the momentum going with pub crawls, parties, community events, and endless delicious Irish fare. Read on to start planning your St. Paddy’s celebrations in San Francisco.
1. United Irish Cultural Center (UICC) events
UICC will host a fun St. Patrick’s Day celebration on the big day itself, Mar. 17, 2024, from 12 pm to late. Order beers from 3 different bars and chow down on a filling corned beef meal. Watch performances from several local schools of Irish dancing on multiple stages and pick up some Irish soda bread and treats to take home.
Here’s the list of remaining UICC events to look for:
- Post Parade Party– March 16, 2 to 11 pm at the UICC featuring live music and traditional supper
- The Hooks performance– March 15, 8 to 11 pm at the UICC
- Spirit of Ireland Celtic Jazz– March 17, 3 to 5 pm
2. St. Patrick’s Day pub crawls
Why visit one bar when you can hop around from party to party? There are plenty of pub crawls happening around SF on Mar. 17-18 in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. Some of the crawls overlap, but we’ve included price details against the number of bars so you can compare them.
- LepraCon St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl (Crawl SF) – Enjoy endless drink specials and catch the party bus if you don’t feel like walking. The crawl will be across three days, starting Friday the 15th and running through the 17th. Tickets start at $12.
- Shamrock Stroll St. Paddy’s Day Pub Crawl (PubCrawls.com) – This pub crawl around Union Street hosts guests at Comet Club, Del Mar, Blue Light, and more. You can participate in the Shamrock stroll or their day off crawl on Sunday.
- Kiss Me I’m Irish St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl (Barcrawlerz) – This North Beach pub crawl includes Northstar Cafe (where you’ll need to register), The Boardroom, Columbus Cafe, and Tupelo. This crawl is another three-day event, and tickets currently start at $15.
- Lucky’s St. Patrick’s Day Crawl (Crawl with US) – This downtown crawl includes Emperor Norton’s Boozeland, Golden Gate Taproom, and more. Single tickets are currently $25, and group tickets are $20.
3. Even more St. Paddy’s Day parties
Apart from local community celebrations and pub crawls, there are a number of additional parties to put on your radar in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. Stay tuned as this list will be updated.
- St. Patrick’s Day on the Roof at Hotel VIA – Mar. 16, 1 to 6pm – Enjoy live Celtic music, bagpipe performances, and traditional Irish dancers while digging into traditional Irish fare and drinks.
- St Patrick’s Day Party Brunch– March 16 and 17 at The Brixton 11 am to 2 pm.
- Saint Patrick’s Day 80’s Hits at The Record Bar- March 16 10 pm to 1:30 am featuring 80s hit
4. Check out these bars and restaurants to try some great Irish food and drink
We can always count on San Francisco to bring spectacular food and drink options for every holiday. Here are some essential spots to get your favorite treats this St. Patrick’s Day.
- Irish coffee and cocktails – Buena Vista Cafe, Devil’s Acre, Casements
- Soda bread and baked goods – Black Jet, Sweet Passion Bakery, Andytown
- Pubs – Flanahan’s, The Lark, The Napper Tandy
5. St. Patrick’s Day Parade
The 173rd annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade will take over San Francisco on Saturday March 16, 2024 starting at 11:30am. The procession commences at 2nd and Market Street, following Market all the way to Civic Center Plaza via McAllister. The parade will end at 2:00 pm in front of City Hall. Get ready for traditional and contemporary live Irish music, performances, dancing, and more.
By Jamie Ferrell and Dana Flynn