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 11 (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, 2023 from 12pm-10pm. 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 a list of remaining UICC events to look for:
- Mar. 17 – St. Patrick’s Day celebration
- Mar. 18 – Rumble at the Beach Boxing
- Mar. 19 – Runa—Celtic-American Roots
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. Participating bars include Mayes Oyster House, R Bar, Zeki’s, and Shanghai Kelly’s. Remaining single-day tickets start at $15 (plus fees) for cover-free access to 28 bars.
- 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. Remaining single-day tickets start at $12 (plus fees) for cover-free access to 10+ bars.
- 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. Remaining single-day tickets start at $15 (plus fees) for cover-free access to 6+ bars.
- Lucky’s St. Patrick’s Day Crawl (Crawl with US) – This downtown crawl includes Emperor Norton’s Boozeland, Golden Gate Taproom, and Amsterdam Cafe. Remaining single-day tickets start at $20 (plus fees) for cover-free access to 5+ bars (Buy in a group of $5 off per ticket).
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. 17, 3-10pm – Enjoy live Celtic music, bagpipe performances, and traditional Irish dancers while digging into traditional Irish fare and drinks.
- Dancing Queen: ABBA Glitter Disco St. Patrick’s Day at The Great Northern – Mar. 17, 9pm-2am – A full-on emerald disco party with endless ABBA hits.
- St. Patrick’s Day Blue’s Party at Kennedy’s Irish Pub – Mar. 17, 8-11pm – Fillmore Slim and West Coast Blues Society perform at Kennedy’s Irish Pub.
- St. Patrick’s Day at Love + Propaganda – Mar. 17, 9pm-2:30am – Party it up at this multilevel club in SF.
4. Irish fare and drink in San Francisco
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, Ireland’s 32, The Napper Tandy
5. (Past event) St. Patrick’s Day Parade
The 172nd annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade will take over San Francisco on March 11, 2023 starting at 11:30am. The procession commences at 2nd and Market Street, following Market all the way to Civic Center Plaza via McAllister. Get ready for traditional and contemporary live Irish music, performances, dancing, and more. Grand Marshal Pat Uniacke will lead the charge. This is the oldest St. Patrick’s Day Parade west of the Mississippi.
See the below UICC events for ways to keep the party going that weekend.