St Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17 every year, the traditional date of the death of Ireland’s patron saint. The next one falls on Wednesday, March 17, 2027, and the live countdown above shows exactly how long you have to find something green. It is a national holiday in Ireland and is marked with parades, music and shamrocks wherever the Irish diaspora has settled, which is almost everywhere.
Who was Saint Patrick?
Patrick lived in the fifth century. Born in Roman Britain, he was captured by raiders as a teenager and taken to Ireland as a slave. He later escaped, trained as a priest and returned to Ireland as a missionary. Legend says he used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity, which is how the plant became a national symbol. The story that he drove the snakes out of Ireland is a myth: there were no snakes there after the last Ice Age. March 17 became an official feast day in the church calendar in the early 17th century, and because it falls in Lent, fasting rules were traditionally relaxed for the day.
Parades, rivers and the color green
Big parades actually began in North America, not Ireland. New York has held a St Patrick’s Day parade since 1762, and it remains one of the largest in the world. Chicago has dyed its river green every year since 1962. Ireland’s first parade took place in Waterford in 1903, and Dublin now hosts a multi-day festival that draws visitors from around the globe.
Green came later than you might think. Early images often show Patrick dressed in blue, and a shade known as St Patrick’s blue still appears in Irish heraldry. Green won out through the shamrock, the Emerald Isle nickname and its link with Irish nationalism.
Is it a public holiday?
- Republic of Ireland: public holiday; when March 17 falls on a weekend, the following Monday is normally the day off.
- Northern Ireland: bank holiday, with the same weekend rule.
- Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada and Montserrat in the Caribbean also mark it as a holiday.
- US, Great Britain and Australia: a normal working day, although pubs and city centers get very busy.
How to celebrate
- Find your nearest parade and check road closures and start times in advance.
- Cook something Irish: soda bread, Irish stew or colcannon. Corned beef and cabbage is the Irish-American favorite.
- Look up a céilí or a traditional music session at an Irish pub or cultural center.
- Wear green, or just a shamrock pin if you prefer to keep it subtle.
- Learn the Irish greeting Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona duit, meaning Happy St Patrick’s Day.
Throwing a party? Put the full-screen countdown on the TV as the clock runs down, or share the link with friends. Spring follows close behind, with the March equinox just a few days later and Easter usually within the following weeks.