Jacob Ogles
The rivers will once again flow green in Florida for St. Patrick’s Day. Here’s what’s happening around the five Floridas on the day when everyone becomes Irish.
Panhandle
— 30A St. Patrick’s Day Block Party: The Idyll Hounds Brewing Company in Santa Rosa Beach will host a block party. Steel guitar player Roosevelt Collier of Nerf The World and his Roosevelt Collier Band will headline the event.
— Shake Your Shamrock St. Paddy’s Day Party: North Beach Social on Santa Rosa Beach will begin festivities at 11 a.m. Green beer and Reubens will be on the plates. DJ Rob will play music on the beach.
— St. Paddy’s Day Pub Crawl: The Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce is encouraging partygoers to hit 16 participating bars on the beach. “Participants are encouraged to crawl at their own pace, in whatever order they want,” promo material states.
First Coast
— Lucky’s St. Patrick’s Day Crawl — Jacksonville: Now in its fifth year, this pub crawl starts at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Sneakers. A costume contest and an array of food and imbibes will greet more than 2,500 celebrators expected to attend.
— Saint Patrick’s Block Party: A ticketed event in Gainesville with access to Simon’s, Loft and Signal, this orange and blue town goes all green from 9 p.m. Thursday until 2-in-the-mornin’. Green Corona beers run $3, but ladies drink free until 11 p.m.
— St. Augustine Celtic Music and Heritage Festival: Bagpipes and rich storytelling will keep the live entertainment authentically Irish (even if visa application backups left some overseas performers unable to travel). It technically starts after St. Patrick’s Day, but will make for a fun weekend with events on Saturday and Sunday.
I-4 Corridor
— Fiddler’s Green St. Patrick’s Day Celebration: The Winter Park Irish Pub and Eatery opens at 9 a.m. and will celebrate the holiday all day. Bagpiper Jamie Kelly will perform, as will the Celtic Pulse Irish dancers.
— Lucky’s St. Patrick’s Day Crawl — Tampa: Similar to the Jacksonville crawl, this “luckiest crawl of the year” lets eventgoers check in at 4 p.m. It starts at the James Joyce Irish Pub in the afternoon and continues until Coyote Ugly at midnight, with a number of other bars and restaurants in between.
— Raglan Road Mighty St. Patrick’s Day Festival: One of Orlando’s top dining destination drips in Irish heritage. The week-long party at Raglan Road started on Friday and runs through Thursday evening. Sing “The Wild Rover” in the Disney Springs environment and a host of beers on tap. Bands like Jig Jam, the Lisa Canny Band and Emerald Shore will take the stage.
— River O’ Green Fest: Few of the state’s St. Paddy’s Day traditions are so well known as dyeing the Hillsborough River green. The event took place on Sunday this year, with Mayor Jane Castor at a host event at Curtis Hixon Park.
— Secret Stash St. Patrick’s Day Music Fest: Held at a Nebraska Avenue commercial center, this event will feature a number of Irish bands, including Raw Falcone, Barely Legal, LJ Meek, Miko Ziko, BJ Rudeboy, Pro-G, Karib, SoftHumn, Zachty, Daveed and Joka.
— St. Paddy’s Day Block Party in Downtown Daytona Beach: The holiday takes over Beach Street on Thursday from 5-10 p.m. A family-friendly event, it will feature a Pipe and Drum Corp and Irish dancing performances. It is open to the public.
Southwest Florida
— Fort Myers Beach St. Patrick’s Day Parade: This family event starts Thursday at 10 a.m. and runs from Santini Marina Plaza North on Estero Boulevard to the Church of the Ascension.
— St. Paddy’s Day @ Duval Street: Singer Sheena Brook, a contestant on The Voice, headlines this Cape Coral event, where Duval Street chefs will offer a special menu of Irish food and whiskeys. The event runs from 6-9 p.m.
— St. Paddy’s Day Shenanigans @ Mercato: The Rowdy Bards headline a block party at the Naples hotspot, where the Harp & Thistle Bagpipe Band will open at 5 p.m. before the main act plays at 6 p.m. Expect an after party to keep running into the morning.
— St. Patrick’s Day Block Party: Green beer will flow at the Fort Myers River District runs from 4-8 p.m. Musicians including Deb and the Dynamics and the Memory Makes will plat at different corners around downtown.
South Florida
— Hollywood St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival: Downtown Hollywood will be overtaken by a sea of plastic shamrocks, with a parade starting Sunday at 1 p.m. The festivities are pushed to the weekend but it’s a good excuse to keep that green outfit clean for another round of celebration.
— Lucky’s St. Patrick’s Day Crawl — Miami: Of course South Florida has its own similar crawl. This one kicks off at 4 p.m. at Catch Wynwood and continues through several bars in the region before closing at midnight at the Booze Garden.
— St. Patrick’s Block Party: CityPlace Doral will hold a block party for the second year in a row, with live painting and a beer garden gone green among the attractions. This takes place Saturday, and Edwin Zaga will perform.
— St. Patrick’s Day Bar Stroll: While organizers expect a more subdued stroll thanks to the pandemic, the day-long event will kick off on Saturday at noon, with a pre-party starting at 11 a.m. at the Southernmost Beach Café. Nine businesses and restaurants will participate in the event this year.
— St. Patrick’s Day Plaza Party: Headliner Finnegan Blue will headline this free event at the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center. Breffni Academy of Irish Dance will also lead a dancing demonstration for those interesting in learning the jig.
— St. Patrick’s Day at Wynwood Marketplace: The biggest block party in Miami and a regular St. Paddy’s Day list-topper, this event in Wynwood starts Thursday at 4 p.m. and runs until 3 a.m., with food trucks and an artisan marketplace.
