St Patrick’s Day Party Ideas: Best Dishes, Games, Décor & More [2024]

 

Are you new to Ireland and gearing up to celebrate your first St Patrick’s Day? St Patrick’s Day is undoubtedly one of the most popular Irish holidays of the year. Held on the 17th of March, it has evolved into a rich celebration of Celtic culture. 

This year, cities across Ireland and Northern Ireland are gearing up for a momentous event which is bound to be full of revelry. As shamrocks and shillelaghs once again fill streets from Dublin to Belfast, you too may be inspired to join in!  

In this article, we take a look at St Patrick’s Day 2024, the meaning behind the holiday, and how to authentically celebrate with food, drinks, décor, and games.  From hearty dishes like boxty pancakes and soda bread to party staples like Irish coffee and green beer, you’ll be throwing the ultimate St Paddy’s Day bash in no time. Sláinte!

When Is St Patrick’s Day in 2024?

St Patrick’s Day is a cultural and religious celebration marking the death of the patron saint. Many cities and towns hold parades and festivals on this day — an official bank holiday in Northern Ireland. In Belfast, St Patrick’s Day is one of the world’s largest carnivals, with over 100,000 gathering for the parade!

This year, St Patrick’s Day falls on Saturday, March 17, which means the celebrations will likely be even bigger and more boisterous than usual, with the holiday falling on a weekend.

What Is the Meaning Behind St Patrick’s Day?

Saint Patrick arrived in Ireland to spread the teachings of Christianity in the early part of the 5th century AD. As the legend goes, Saint Patrick used the three-leaf shamrock plant to explain the Holy Trinity concept of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This iconic symbol can still be seen everywhere on this holiday. The customary St Patrick’s Day colour green also ties back to this story of the shamrock.

Beyond its religious origins, St Patrick’s Day has grown into a global celebration of Irish culture and heritage. The holiday symbolises Irish solidarity and pays tribute to the resilience and determination of the Irish people throughout history.

Modern celebrations of St Patrick’s Day involve public parades, festivals, Irish food, music like Celtic punk or traditional Irish folk, dancing, and, of course, plenty of green clothing! But as we revel in the festivities of St Patrick’s Day 2024, let’s not just see it as a day to wear green and enjoy a pint of stout. 

Pull Off the Best St Patrick’s Day Party With These Ideas

If you want to celebrate St Patrick’s Day in style, bring the festivities home with some delicious food, creative decorations, fun outfits, and classic Irish games.

Delicious Food Ideas

No St Paddy’s Day 2024 party is complete without some great Irish grub. Some tasty traditional dishes you could serve up include:

• Irish Soda Bread: This quick bread uses baking soda as the leavening agent. It is best served warm with butter.
• Corned Beef and Cabbage: A combination Irish–American meal for March 17th, simmered in a broth with potatoes.
• Shepherd’s Pie: Hearty comfort food with lamb or beef baked under creamy mashed potatoes. A staple favourite of any Irish household!
• Irish Stew: Filled with lamb, potatoes, onions, and herbs, you’ll find it hard to get a more Irish dish. 
• Boxty Pancakes: These potato-based griddle cakes are a traditional treat.

Of course, you’ll need some pints of Guinness, Irish whiskey, and Baileys Irish Cream to pair with this delicious homemade menu. 

Creative Irish Décor

From four-leaf clovers to pots of gold, get your space feeling festive with shamrocks, harps, and shades of green everywhere. Some DIY decorating ideas you can run with are:

• Create table runners and bunting with green, white, and orange fabric in the style of the Irish flag.
• Scatter fake gold chocolate coins wrapped in foil as “pots of gold”. If you have some large pots or dishes around, then all the better!
• Use a leprechaun hat as your table centrepiece and fill it with flowers or treats.
• Print and display Irish proverbs or blessings around your home or venue as wall hangings.

 

Outfits for St Patrick’s Day

Get everyone dressed to impress in green, white, and gold, representing Catholicism and Irish nationalism. Ladies can don sparkly emerald green dresses, skirt sets with white blouses, and accessories like hair bows and funky socks. Gents can look smart in green trousers, white shirts, ties, hats, and golden shoes for good luck!

Irish Games

Once you’re fed and outfitted, get in an Irish state of mind with traditional music and games:

1. Have a Ceili dance session following the instructions from videos online.
2. Challenge guests to a high scoring game of Irish road bowling with a ball and pins set up outside. Make sure you do it safely and without damaging any property!
3. Test your knowledge of Ireland or Saint Patrick with a pub-style trivia quiz.
4. Do the Shamrock Shake. Empty a tissue box for each player and tape or tie the tissue box to your waist. Each player must then put the same number of ping pong balls inside of the tissue box and tie the tissue box around their waist. As soon as the timer goes off, each player must shake their hips and do a “Shamrock Shake” to be the first one to get all of the ping pong balls out. Get them moving, lads and lasses!

Sláinte to a fantastic St Patrick’s Day party! Don’t forget the green beer and Irish coffee as a treat.

However you choose to celebrate the patron saint’s feast day, St Patrick’s Day is all about coming together in Irish pride and cultural spirit. If prepping for guests coming into town has your house overflowing, The Self Storage Centre can help. 

We offer clean and affordable self storage units in prime locations around Belfast and Lisburn, to neatly stash away your off-season décor or extra belongings. Our secure storage rooms give you space to breathe, with the flexibility of month-to-month contracts.

Don’t shy away from going all out for St Patrick’s Day this year. Get your party on, knowing your precious items or spillover stock will be safely stored. Here’s to celebrating St Patrick’s Day 2024 in proper Irish form!