Where to celebrate St Patrick's Day in the USA

Irish heritage runs deep in the USA. It’s estimated that some 4.5 million Irish immigrants crossed the pond in the 19th and early 20th centuries to make a new life in America. And from 1845, many settlers were fleeing the Irish Potato Famine, which saw blight annihilate potato crops across the country.

Today, almost 10 percent of Americans trace their lineage back to the Emerald Isle, so it’s no wonder that St Patrick’s Day is met with such jubilant celebrations from coast to coast. The event began as a religious holiday honouring Ireland’s patron saint, but today it’s an all-encompassing celebration of Irish culture.

Here we reveal six of the best places in the USA to enjoy the festivities.

Boston is mighty proud of its Irish roots, with around one fifth of Bostonians claiming Irish ancestry. Year-round, there’s an Irish Heritage Trail allowing visitors to learn more about the Irish-American experience in the city: the route links up sites including the Boston Irish Famine Memorial and the Kevin White Statue, honouring the Irish-American Boston major.

On St Patrick’s Day each year, a spirited parade marches through South Boston (Boston’s Irish hub, affectionately known as Southie). There’ll be giant, emerald-coloured floats, marching bands and bag pipes, and plenty of merriment. Boston also has some of the finest Irish pubs in the USA – from J.J. Foley's Cafe in South End to The Burren in Somerville – and they’re packed to the rafters during the holiday.

You might be surprised to learn that – despite its relatively small population – Savannah has one of the largest St Patrick’s Day celebrations in the States. Its roots go way back to 1824, when the Hebridean Society (an organisation formed by early Irish residents) organised a public walk through Savannah’s moss-cloaked streets.

Fast-forward 200 years and the tradition is still going strong today. Marching bands from across the nation descend on the city for the main parade, which is a glittering, music-filled jamboree that lasts for several hours. This year, the newly developed Plant Riverside District will hold a free event with more live music and Irish food too.

New Orleans always goes big when it comes to celebrations – and, of course, St Patrick’s Day is no exception. In true Big Easy style, the city’s Irish Channel Parade is larger than life – expect flying root vegetables; loud, proud brass bands; and a sea of vivid green as folks march through lower Magazine Street and St Charles Avenue.

The parade route neighbourhood – now filled with colourful Creole cottages and watering holes – earned the nickname Irish Channel for its early Irish immigrants. While you’re here, make time for a pitstop at Parasol’s: this convivial dive bar is known for its roast-beef po’boy and it hosts a fun block party on St Paddy’s Day.

When the festivities have subsided, beeline for the Irish Cultural Museum of New Orleans: exhibits here tell the story of the Big Easy’s early Irish immigrants.

No list of the USA’s top St Patrick’s Day celebrations would be complete without the Windy City. Head towards Columbus Drive for the jewel of the festivities: the Chicago St. Patrick’s Day Parade, one of the largest in the country, complete with Irish dancers, pipe bands and marchers donning green kilts. The city even dyes its river green for the event – a controversial practice that draws an annual debate among environmentalists and traditionalists.

The historic South Side Irish Parade is another beloved event and has been going strong since the 1980s. It slices through the city’s Beverly and Morgan Park neighbourhoods, which are long-standing cradles of Irish culture.

Many of Chicago’s river cruise companies – such as Chicago’s First Lady – also put on themed events, so you can pair the festivities with a close-up look at the city’s renowned waterfront skyscrapers.

This small Midwestern city might not be on your travel radar, but it’s well worth a visit around Patrick’s Day. New London goes all out for the Irish cultural holiday – but its smaller size means the events feel more manageable than those in the bigger cities.

A whole week of festivities ensues, including an Irish music festival in a big top tent, and the lively Grand Parade. Throughout the week, restaurants and pubs dish up traditional corned beef and cabbage and host céilithe, traditional Scottish and Irish dances and gatherings. Men clad in green even change the community’s entrance sign from “New London” to “New Dublin”.

With a name like ‘Dublin’, it should be no surprise that this small Golden State city wholeheartedly embraces the St Patrick’s Day festivities. Dublin hosts one of the West Coast’s most beloved celebrations – a two-day festival filled with Irish folk music and dance, carnival rides and a glittering parade. There’s also the treasure-filled Irish marketplace, where vendors sell Celtic artwork, traditional textiles and handcrafted jewellery, and an Irish-themed food court dishing up Guinness-marinated steak and soda bread.

Year-round, you can visit the Murray Schoolhouse Museum, which documents the stories of Dublin’s early Irish settlers.

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