Now that February is finally over, it is time for everyone to open their drawers and pull out all of their green attire. March is here, and it is time to celebrate the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick. The question is, where to start celebrating? Well you are in luck! Look no further than these five activities you can do to get in the festive St. Paddy’s Day spirit.
Bake festive treats
Irish soda bread originated in the 1830s and became a culinary staple during the Great Famine in Ireland. Over time, soda bread has become a popular St. Patrick’s Day snack. Its simple and short list of ingredients allows it to be a simple and fun treat to make. This recipe by Alexandra’s Kitchen is easy to follow. Just mix together flour, baking soda and salt. Next, add some buttermilk until it forms a dough and bake. Soda bread makes a great snack and is delicious when served warm with jam or butter at any time of the day.
St. Patrick’s Day movie night
Grab your friends, pop some popcorn and cozy up for a fun St. Patrick’s Day-themed movie night. If you are in the mood to watch some mythical Irish fantasy, turn on “The Secret of Kells,” “Song of the Sea,” “Wolfwalkers” or “The Luck of the Irish.” Looking for more of a laugh? Then you should watch “The Quiet Man,” “Darby O’Gill and the Little People,” “Leap Year” or “Irish Wish.”
Go to an Irish pub
O’Hara’s Irish Pub is located on 3rd Street in downtown Baton Rouge. The pub has a vibrant atmosphere and often has live music, with Jam Nights every Wednesday from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m where you can sign up to sing. This is a great way to immerse yourself in Irish culture while singing your favorite tunes.
Play festive games
To get into the St. Patrick’s Day spirit, one can do St. Patrick’s Day-themed games. The Shamrock Shake is a great game that gets people up and moving. Two people strap a tissue box with ping pong balls to their waists and race to shake the balls out. The Lucky Charm Separation game is a fun minute-to-win-it game that involves delicious festive marshmallows. The two players have to use only their mouths to see who can separate the most marshmallows from the cereal. Finally, you can try the Gold Coin Transfer game. The players race while using chopsticks to move gold coins from one container to the other.
Wearin’ of the Green Parade
Hoping to do something on St. Patrick’s Day itself? The Wearin’ of the Green Parade is Saturday, March 14 at 11 a.m. The parade begins at the corner of Hundred Oaks Avenue and South Acadian Thruway and travels through the Garden District before ending at the corner of Perkins Road and Stanford Avenue. Head out and catch the floats passing by all decked out in green.
If you want to get some steps in before the parade, join the Shamrock Run. People are able to sign up to run the last mile of the parade route. The seventh annual Shamrock Run takes place at 9:30 a.m. on March 14.
