9 festive ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day
It's time to hoist a glass to the luck o' the Irish as St. Paddy's day celebrations take over the capital city. Here are nine golden opportunities to go green, from pub crawls and parties to a lively parade.
St. Patrick’s Day at the Sacramento Library
March 10 & 16 Take your bonny young lads and lasses to the Rio Linda Library on March 10 for a puppet show about three brothers and their comedic quest to catch a Leprechaun named Liam, hosted by the Puppet Company, an acclaimed Bay Area-based group that blends Irish folk tales with music. On March 16, the Arden-Dimick Library will host a science day with interactive stations for little Einsteins to perform experiments like transforming pots of gold into slime and making rainbow “explosions.” Rio Linda Library: Free. 4:30-5:15 p.m. 631 L St. Arden-Dimick Library: Free. 4-4:45 p.m. 891 Watt Ave. 264-2700. saclibrary.org
The La Salle Club’s Irish Social
March 11 The La Salle Club hosted its first St. Patrick’s Day, a corned beef feed, at Christian Brothers High School in 1950. This year’s soiree will feature performances by local band The Rattlin’ Boys, local opera star Carrie Hennessey, Sacramento Firefighters Pipes & Drums and the McKeever School of Irish Dance. Two bars will be pouring Guinness, Jameson and Irish coffees as you dance and sway to the music. And don’t forget to sport your best kilts, green hair and shamrock attire for a chance to win a prize in the costume contest. $25-$30. 1-5 p.m. Christian Brothers High School. 4315 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. 733-3600. thelasalleclub.com
St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl
March 11 This 12th annual pub crawl organized by Sacramento’s 5hundy Social Club and Xoso Sport & Social League starts at Blue Cue and ends at Streets Pub & Grub, stopping at 11 bars and hot spots in between, including Federalist Public House, University of Beer and Cornerstone Café & Bar. Don the souvenir St. Paddy’s Day T-shirt that you receive upon registration to gain access to the participating bars’ food and drink specials, like whiskey shots, Irish car bombs (much like a boilermaker) and corned beef sliders with fries. $25-$30. 3 p.m.-12 a.m. Route begins at Blue Cue Bar & Restaurant at 1004 28th St. 426-9676. xososports.com
Shamrock’n 5K, 10K and Half Marathon
March 11 & 12 This 13th annual trio of races benefiting the Triumph Cancer Foundation will bring hundreds of runners of all ages and skill levels to downtown and West Sacramento. On Saturday, a 5K and (new this year) 10K invite folks to dress in green and race through downtown, along Capitol Mall and back to the finish line at Raley Field where a post-race festival will include music, barbecue and beer. Little ones can also get in on the action during the half-mile Leprechaun Dash, for which they’ll receive a commemorative Shamrock’n baseball. On Sunday, competitive runners can sweat it out for a good cause during the half marathon, with live music along the route to keep spirits high. Times and prices vary. Raley Field. 400 Ballpark Dr. 376-4700. shamrocknhalf.com
The Boxing Donkey
March 17 This Roseville bar will be hosting its all-day St. Patrick’s Day party for the ninth year in a row. Take a photo with a live donkey, and check out multiple stages with live music from local bands like ’90s alt-rock cover group Total Recall, fast-paced Irish jiggers Bobby and the Kennedys, Celtic-Americana outfit One Eyed Reilly and Irish punk band The Pikeys. Get your fill of corned beef in everything from tacos to nachos and say “cheers” at multiple pouring stations serving up Guinness and green beer. $5-$10. 6 a.m.-1 a.m. The Boxing Donkey. 300 Lincoln St. Roseville. 797-3665. theboxingdonkey.com
deVere’s Irish Pub
March 17 If any establishment in the Sacramento region knows how to throw a St. Paddy’s Day event, it’s deVere’s. The popular Irish pubs in Sacramento and Davis will keep the Guinness and Jameson flowing while you feast on corned beef and cabbage or Reuben sandwiches and sample its impressive whiskey selection. Capture some selfies with your squad at a photo booth that will offer props themed to the Irish holiday and dance along to the jigs of the kilt-clad Sacramento Firefighters Pipes and Drums. Sacramento location: Free. 9 a.m.-1:45 a.m. 1521 L St. 231-9947. Davis location: Free. 9 a.m.-1:45 a.m. 217 E St. 530-204-5533. deverespub.com
36 Handles Pub & Eatery
March 17 & 18 This El Dorado Hills institution will celebrate the luck of the Irish during its fourth annual weekend-long St. Patrick’s Day celebration, which will turn part of the bar’s parking lot into a block party under a big tent, featuring hot slices of corned beef and spirits like Jameson, Guinness and Heineken. Stick around for prize giveaways and live music from local band Island of Black and White, whose lead singer is known to perform atop a unicycle while playing the accordion. Free. 8 a.m Sat.-2 a.m. Mon. 1010 White Rock Rd. El Dorado Hills. 941-3606. 36handles.com
St. Patrick’s Day Beer Crawl & Parade
March 17 & 18 Old Sacramento is hosting two events, with a bar crawl on St. Patrick’s Day and a parade the following afternoon. On Friday night’s bar crawl, revelers can saunter to local watering holes like Fanny Ann’s Saloon, O'Mally's Irish Pub and River City Saloon, which will be buzzing with live music and pouring plenty of green beer. Saturday’s 21st annual St. Patrick’s Day parade will feature bands, floats, and over 50 bagpipers, starting on Front Street and winding through the historic district. March 17 bar crawl: Free. 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Begins at 2nd and K streets. March 18 parade: Free. 11:30-3 p.m. Parade begins at 1 p.m. at Neasham and Front streets. 970-5226. oldsacramento.com
An Irish Hooley
March 19 Irish eyes will be smiling—and bodies swaying along to the sounds of traditional music and dance—at the Harris Center’s fifth annual Irish Hooley, which translates to “boisterous party.” This year’s lineup includes performances by Los Angeles-based trio The Kerry Voice Squad, Irish dancer Connor Reider and The Kerry Traditional Band, whose musical stylings include the uilleann bagpipes and bodhrán drum. $12-$39. 7 p.m. Harris Center. 10 College Parkway. 608-6888. harriscenter.net
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