Description

Book a hotel in New Orleans for St. Patrick's Day!

Come to New Orleans to celebrate St. Patrick's Day! (And keep your eyes open for flying potatoes and cabbages.) Every year, New Orleans embraces its ties to the Emerald Isle with celebrations around the city and a parade in the Irish Channel - a neighborhood settled by Irish immigrants in the early 19^th Century. You don't have to be Irish to get into the spirit – the festivities are like a New Orleans neighborhood block party, and everyone's invited.

The epicenter of St. Paddy's celebrations is Parasol's Bar (2533 Constance St., (504) 302-1543) and nearby newcomer Tracey's Bar (2604 Magazine Street, (504) 897-5413) – near the Garden District and about 10 minutes from the French Quarter and downtown New Orleans. Neighbors and locals pack the bars and pour into the street for a day filled with green beer and this uniquely New Orleans party.

Every year, the Irish Channel St. Patrick's Day Club holds its annual mass and parade celebration. Mass starts at 12 noon at St. Mary's Assumption Church (2030 Constance Street) and is followed by the parade at 1 p.m.  The parade route travels eight blocks, starting at the corner of Felicity Street and Magazine and rolls from Jackson Avenue to St. Charles Avenue to Louisiana Avenue to Magazine Street, and ends on Jackson Ave. Like all parades in New Orleans, expect to catch the typical strands of green beads and commemorative doubloons, but parade marchers and riders also hand out special throws, including potatoes and heads of cabbage. 

If you're in town for all of the festivities, don't miss the Irish Channel St. Patrick's Day Club Block party, featuring Irish music, dancers, food, arts and crafts and, naturally, plenty of beer. The benefit block party will take place on Thursday, March 15, 2012 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Annunciation Square Playground, directly in front of the parties beneficiary: St. Michael's Special School.

The Irish Channel St. Patrick's Day Club was organized in the Channel in 1947 and held the annual mass and parade for more than 60 years. The club's 1,400 members are ethnically diverse, all claiming strong ties to the Irish Channel neighborhood.

 Irish bars in New Orleans

Details

Hours: Mass at St. Mary’s Assumption Church starts at noon, and is followed by the parade at 1 p.m.

Cost: Free

Location:

St. Mary’s Church

2030 Constance Street

New Orleans, LA 70130