Everyone has an opportunity to be Irish this St. Paddy’s Day
St. Patrick’s Day is to the local Irish pub what New Year’s Eve is to the Strip nightclub: Craziness. Pandemonium. Long lines and lots of intoxicated fun.
March 17 has become a major holiday for some local venues, drawing their biggest crowds of the year, say pub representatives.
“It’s like a New Year’s Eve on steroids for us,” says Andrew Northam, spokesman for Hennessey’s at the Fremont Street Experience. “The volume of traffic is four to five times what we see on New Year’s Eve.”
This year, since the holiday falls on a Saturday, Hennessey’s plans to host a block party with live Irish music and free-flowing Guinness . The party starts at 10 a.m. and will be a family-friendly affair outdoors, at least until late afternoon. The adult-only festivities will take place inside the pub. Admission to the outdoor festivities is free; Guinness will sponsor a beer garden selling 24-ounce Guinness beer for $5. The block party will be part of Fremont Street Experience’s fourth annual St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl featuring 12 hours of music, shows, and food and drink specials.
Nine Fine Irishmen at New York-New York is hosting its eighth annual Celtic Feis Friday through Sunday . The Gaelic word refers to Irish cultural and artistic festivals but they’ve put their own spin on feis, says Michael Kennedy, executive director of food and beverage for the resort.
St. Patrick’s Day is an important holiday for the property, Kennedy says, and takes months of planning. He will start work on next year’s party right after this one ends. A bagpipe parade kicks things off at noon Saturday . It starts at Coyote Ugly with bagpipe players and drummers marching through the hotel, through the pub and onto the Brooklyn Bridge. Firefighters usually bring out fire trucks and hang out in their uniforms throughout the day.
If you’re looking for something the whole family can do, check out Henderson’s 46th annual Southern Nevada Sons of Erin St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival. It starts today at 5 p.m. with a carnival at the Henderson Events Plaza, 200 S. Water St. The carnival will run through Sunday . The St. Patrick’s Day parade is scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m. About 100 floats, Celtic dancers and bagpipers will parade through the Water Street District. A classic car show will take place from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday , and live entertainment will be featured throughout the weekend. Admission to the festival is free; carnival ride prices vary. For a full list of activities, visit hendersonlive.com or call 267-2171.
Other St. Patrick’s Day events scheduled to take place through the weekend include:
■ J.C. Wooloughan’s inside JW Marriott, 221 N. Rampart Blvd., will have happy hour from 3 to 7 p.m. with $5 Irish appetizers, discounts on draft beer and live music through Friday . On Saturday , festivities start at 10 a.m. At noon, Finnegan’s Wake will kick off the entertainment followed by Nick Matera at 2 p.m., Celtic Rockers at 4 p.m. Bands will play throughout the evening. A $20 cover will be charged starting at 3 p.m.
■ The Cannery, 2121 E. Craig Road, will host a day full of St. Patrick’s Day festivities, food and drink specials. The Pub Crawl starts at 3 p.m. at Casa Bar, where all drinks will cost $1 until 4 p.m. After that, crawl over to Booze & Bets for the same deal until 5 p.m., when the special moves to Pin Ups. The Club wraps up the Pub Crawl from 6 to 7 p.m. Live music will be played throughout the venue. The Cannery Row buffet will offer a special price of $7 all day to those who have a CAN Club card. Also, $2 green beer will be available.
■ Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South, will host a weekend of St. Patrick’s Day events Friday and Saturday . For $49, you can access the beer garden at Moorea beach. Price includes all-you-can-drink beer and all the live entertainment you can take. Emish, Black 47, Celtic Connections and Gallowglass Band are among the scheduled bands. Participants must be 21 or older. Locals with Nevada ID will receive a 15 percent discount on admission.
■ Ri Ra in the Shoppes at Mandalay Place, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South, kicks off its St. Paddy’s Day celebration Friday at 5 p.m. with live Irish music. Saturday, there will be a viewing party for the Six Nations Rugby match between Ireland and England at 10 a.m. Irish dancers, bagpipers and others will parade through the casino at 11 a.m. Cover charge into the venue costs $10.
■ New York-New York’s Celtic Feis starts Friday when the water under the Brooklyn Bridge will be dyed green and the building cast in a green light. Bagpipers from Desert Sky Pipe Band will march through the casino at noon Saturday and end at the Brooklyn Bridge where the festival continues with live music, retail booths, and food and drink specials. An Irish dancer will provide entertainment throughout the weekend. Admission is $25 and comes with one complimentary drink, but those who wear a kilt will get in free. Participants must be 21 and older. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit newyorknewyork.com/stpatricksday or call 866-606-7111.
Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564. Follow @StripSonya on Twitter.
