St. Patrick’s Day around Seattle 2024: Irish Week, Celtic music and more

Irish-born actor Kerry Condon once told The Seattle Times that she likes Pacific Northwest weather because “it reminds me of Ireland.” (That’s one reason the 2023 Oscar nominee owns a farm just a half-hour outside of Seattle.) 

Keep that perspective in mind as St. Patrick’s Day approaches and gray, drizzling skies come and go. Rain or shine, here are some local ways to celebrate the holiday on March 17. (Make sure to check the links provided, as some events may sell out or adjust their prices.)

Irish Week: A parade, festival and more

Perhaps the grandest of the local St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, Irish Week is already well underway. The Irish Heritage Club event series kicked off March 9, but don’t fret — most of the free festivities are coming up this weekend. 

March 15 brings a trio of annual Emerald City traditions: an Irish Week proclamation luncheon (which has sold out), the Pirates Landing (a historical reenactment of St. Patrick’s arrival in Ireland) at 5 p.m. at Lake Union Park and the Laying of the Green Stripe (a custom paying tribute to late Seattle business owner John Doyle Bishop) at Jefferson Street and Fourth Avenue at 7 p.m. — the same spot where the St. Patrick’s Day Parade starts at 12:30 p.m. Saturday. 

Catch the Irish Festival, the big finale of Irish Week, at Seattle Center on Saturday and Sunday. Running noon-6 p.m. March 16 and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. March 17, the event will fill the Armory with all kinds of action, including traditional Irish music, step-dancing, and workshops and presentations on everything from making tin whistles to genealogy and Irish literature. 

For more details on Irish Week events, including a holiday mass and special dinner this weekend, visit irishclub.org/irish-week-2024.

Head to an Irish bar (some go all out)

Lovers of the cozy Ballard Avenue bar and open-mic destination Conor Byrne Pub have one last chance to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day there: The Irish pub is slated to close at the end of March. What’s planned for the occasion? Just “12 hours of St. Pats shenanigans,” its website reads, with performances by Evergreen Irish Dancers, The Kings, Cascadia Pipe Band and more running from 12:30 p.m. to midnight March 17. Grab an “early party” ticket to attend noon-5 p.m. or a “late shift” ticket for 5 p.m.-closing, $30 each and available at conorbyrnepub.com. 

There are plenty of other Irish pubs and restaurants across the Seattle area, too. Here are just a handful with special St. Patty’s festivities planned.

• Pike Place Market’s Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub has been celebrating with its St. Patrick’s Irish Festival since March 7, and the Irish music, dancing, traditional menu items and more continue through the holiday, spilling out from the bar and restaurant and into a tented outdoor area. Find more details at st.news/kells-st-patricks. 1916 Post Alley, Seattle; 206-728-1916
• Paddy Coyne’s Irish Pub offers “an authentic Irish menu, as well as American favorites,” plus an extensive collection of whiskey and beers, naturally including a “proper pint of Guinness,” according to its website. On March 16 and 17, stop by for a slate of Irish entertainment, including the Seattle Irish Dance Company and bagpiper Neil Hubbard. Learn more at paddycoynes.net/events. 700 Bellevue Way N.E., #100, Bellevue; 425-453-8080
• Billed as “Everett’s authentic Irish pub,” The Irishmen serves up shepherd’s pie, braised beef stew, fish and chips, burgers, sandwiches and other tasty dishes, as well as a whiskey menu and other drinks. On St. Patrick’s Day, there’ll be live music starting at 4 p.m. 2923 Colby Ave., Everett; 425-374-5783, theirishmen.com

Tap your feet to some Celtic music

If crowded bars aren’t your scene, there’s plenty of Irish entertainment around town elsewhere. 

On the Eastside, Geoffrey Castle, a longtime Kirkland resident who plays the unique six-string electric violin, is putting on his annual St. Patrick’s Celebration at the Kirkland Performance Center. Tickets for the 7 p.m. March 16 show are $40 and available at st.news/geoffrey.

On St. Patrick’s Day, catch Lúnasa, the group that Folk Roots magazine once hailed as an “Irish music dream team.” The band, which has performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall to the Hollywood Bowl, will make a stop at the Neptune Theater on March 17 in Seattle’s University District. (Ticket prices start at $35, doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. Find more info at stgpresents.org.) 

Farther north, catch some Celtic music at the Edmonds Center for the Arts where folk group The Gothard Sisters will present a high-energy, family-friendly St. Patrick’s Day evening of fiddle tunes, Irish ballads and step dancing. (Snag $20-$35 tickets from edmondscenterforthearts.org/events.) 

Lace up your running sneakers

Do you prefer an active weekend outdoors? 

Up and down the Puget Sound area, runners and walkers will be suiting up in green for races of various distances. Here are some of your options: 

• In Woodinville: The Woodinville Leprechaun Leap on March 16 includes 5K and 10K options, both following a mostly flat course along the Sammamish River. Participants can gather at Wilmot Gateway Park starting at 7:30 a.m., then catch a Bag Pipe Costume Parade at 8:45 a.m. and take off running at 9:20 a.m. (for the 10K) or 9:25 a.m. (for the 5K). Win an award by being among the fastest finishers or wearing one of the best costumes. Register online; $38 for the 5K, $48 for the 10K. st.news/woodinville-dash
• In Gig Harbor: Whether you pick the 5K or 12K at the third annual Shamrock’n the Harbor, you’ll be running an out-and-back course along the Cushman Trail on March 16. The 12K starts at 8:30 a.m. (check in at 8 a.m.) and the 5K starts at 9 a.m. (check in at 8:30 a.m.), with both taking off right across the street from Olympic Village Shopping Center (5500 Olympic Drive, Gig Harbor). Register online; $55 in advance or $65 on the day of. st.news/gigharbor-dash
• In Tacoma: Choose among a 5K, 10K or half-marathon, all kicking off from 815 Pacific Ave. in downtown Tacoma between 8 and 9 a.m. on March 16. Register online; $65-$110, depending on when you register and the length of the race you do. st.news/tacoma-dash
• In Seattle: The Emerald City’s St. Patrick’s Day Dash turns 40 this year. The March 17 run is a 5K and starts and ends at Seattle Center, with a down-and-back jaunt along Aurora Avenue North. After the dash, enjoy live music, Irish dance, food and Guinness inside Fisher Pavilion. Register online; $45 for adults, $20 for kids. st.news/seattle-dash
• In Kirkland: The family-oriented, costumes-encouraged Kirkland Shamrock Run will start and end at Juanita Beach Park, covering 5K. The run kicks off at 9 a.m. March 17, and winners will be announced at 10 a.m. There’s also a 1K “Little Leprechaun Run” at 10 a.m. Register online; $55 for adults, $40 for students and $15 for the Little Leprechaun race. st.news/kirkland-dash