These days, St. Patrick’s Day celebrations look very different than they once did, especially in America. Even though many of the St. Patrick’s Day activities and traditions we know and love today (green beer, parades, and corned beef and cabbage) may not be traditionally Irish, what really matters on this day is having a good time. Conjure the luck of the Irish at your St Patricks Day party with these festive ideas.
St Patricks Day Party Food
- Start off with Irish-inspired appetizers, such as Guinness Glazed Meatballs, Horseradish Deviled Eggs, or Reuben Rounds.
- Consider serving a few favorite Irish-inspired entrees, such as shepherd’s pie or bangers and mash. A more traditional St Patricks Day party dish would include lamb or bacon, such as lamb stew.
- Serve Colcannon on the side, a hearty and filling dish of mashed potatoes mixed with garden-grown kale or cabbage. Colcannon emerged as a staple food in Ireland around the mid-18th century.
- Complement your main entrée, whether traditional Irish or not, with Irish soda bread dyed in your favorite shade of green by adding a few drops of food coloring in the dough.
- Whip up a beautifully delicious Shamrock Peppermint Shake for dessert. All you need is some vanilla ice cream, peppermint, and green food coloring.
Party Games
- Pin the Shamrock on the Leprechaun game: A spin on the classic Pin the Tail on the Donkey game, print out some shamrocks using this template, draw your own leprechaun on poster board, grab some tape and a bandana for a blindfold, and you are ready.
- Hunting for Gold: Find some smooth, round rocks, clean and dry them before painting them gold or decorating them with the word “Lucky” in gold glitter and, after hiding them in a protected area, set the kids free to see who can find the most “gold.”
- Blindfolded Shamrock Drawing Contest: See how close your guests can get to the actual shape of a shamrock when they can’t see what they’re doing! Display their creations on a bulletin board or clipped to the clothesline.
- Traditional Irish Games: Consider an early Irish board game inside, such as Fidchell, Brandubb, or Skittles, or perhaps a rambunctious game of Rounders outside.
Lucky Bingo
Create your own Bingo cards with the word “Lucky” across the top and a series of blank boxes to fill. Fill the boxes with images or phrases associated with Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day, such as leprechauns, pots of gold, and the Irish flag (remember to fill the boxes on each card in a different order). Fill a container with clues for each image or phrase; as you call out each clue, players will have to guess the answer and mark their cards with gold coins. Players who get 5 coins in a row call out “Lucky!” and win a prize.
Bring the Festive Flair
- Shamrock garlands: Purchase or create your own shamrock cut-outs. Use a hand-held hole punch to make two holes at the top of the center leaf and string twine, colored baker’s string, or green Christmas ribbon through the holes.
- Place Card Quotes: Consider printing place cards with a special St. Patrick’s Day Irish quote or blessing on one side. Here are some messages to get you started.
- Fill smaller spaces with green balloons in a variety of sizes and shades.
- Dress up your pets with green bandanas.
Pot of Gold Centerpieces
Purchase small planter pots and paint them green. While they are drying, use an X-Acto knife to cut out buckles from gold card stock, cut lengths of ribbon the size of your pots and thread the ribbon through the buckles. Use your hot glue gun to secure the black ribbon around the pot. Fill them with gold coins (or clover plants!) and set them in the center of each guest table or place them around the room. Consider using them as prizes for your party games. Set them around the room so that the winner of each game chooses a pot and reveals the prize inside when they lift it up.
Get Ready for Your St Patricks Day Party with Us
Luckily, you can find all things green at Parties To Go to decorate your home with charm for your celebration. From gold coins and shamrock cut-outs to plates, napkins, and cups, you will find what you need (and more) to make your St. Patrick’s Day party memorable.
