All across America, everyone wears bright green socks, drinks Guinness, and pretends to be Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. Even cities without much of a party scene manage to blow up on this Celtic holiday, so it is only fitting that Las Vegas brings out its Sunday best to help celebrate the big day as well. If you find yourself wandering Sin City this March 17, check out one of these sports to get your leprechaun on.
Celtic Feis
Photo credit: New York-New York
This two-day festival isn’t for the faint of heart. Only attend Celtic Feis at New York-New York if you are a true St. Patrick’s Day die-hard, as this event includes actives from dawn till dusk on both Friday and Saturday. It all starts at 10 a.m. on Friday with the Las Vegas Pipe Band parade that makes its way from the mezzanine to the Brooklyn Bridge, passing the hotel’s famous fountain which is, of course, dyed green.
The parade is free and open to guests of all ages but, starting at noon, admission costs $10 and you must be 21 to attend. DJs, Irish singers and dancers, bites from the Nine Fine Irishmen pub, and drink specials will carry your party until at least 2:30 a.m. (when Sin E Ri Ra closes). If you start on Friday, you can do it all over again the next day.
Location: New York-New York, 3790 Las Vegas Blvd S., Las Vegas.
Parade & Festival
Photo credit: Vegas.com
The Southern Nevada Sons & Daughters of Erin celebrate their Irish heritage everyday of the year, so you better believe the group goes all out for the universally-observed holiday. Their 51st annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival actually takes place the weekend before the holiday to ensure the celebration can stretch out even longer. From March 10 to 12, vendors, drunk people, and green friends will flood the streets of Henderson and show the Irish just how much their history is honored.
The main event, the parade, starts at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 11. This year, it will be accompanied by a carnival with rides and games, a car show presented by the Hustlers Car Club, the St. Baldrick’s Head Shaving event, Irish music and dance, live entertainment, food, vendors, and more. The parade theme is 51 Shades of Green and all floats will be judged for Best of Theme, Prettiest, Most Original, and Greenest.
Location: Henderson Events Plaza, 200 S. Water St., Henderson.
O’Sheas BLOQ Party
Photo credit: Caesars Entertainment
It all starts at noon on Friday, March 17, at the LINQ when the annual O’Sheas BLOQ Party kicks off with a parade along the LINQ Promenade to O’Sheas, followed by a St. Patrick’s Day toast. From there, it’s all about live music, stilt walkers, leprechauns and live music. Throw it back to your college days with over-sized beer pong (and binge drinking) until 10 p.m. on the promenade or until 3 a.m. inside O’Sheas. Portable bars and beer carts will offer favorites like Coors Light, Miller Lite, Guinness, Leinenkugel, Heineken, and Jameson for $6 all day.
The High Roller, Vortex at The LINQ, and the hotel’s fountains will all turn green for the occasion.
Location: The Linq, 3535 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas.
ShamROCK Celebration
Photo credit: Fremont Street Experience
Downtown goes completely green every year thanks to the St. Patrick’s ShamROCK Celebration by the Fremont Street Experience. Irish entertainment, live bands playing tribute to Ireland’s greats and, of course, plenty of bars with holiday drink specials are what awaits you off the Strip.
If you’re looking for something a little more structured than the usual madness on the streets, try the Fremont Street Experience St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl – a guided tour (complete with bagpipe escort) that will feature exclusive drink specials, food, and entertainment from downtown’s most popular casinos. The crawl is free and registration is open starting at 2 p.m. on Friday at the SlotZilla zip line tower.
Location: Fremont Street, Las Vegas.
Featured photo credit: Caesars Entertainment.
