Though the Mississippi River may not turn green in honor of the Irish patron saint, Baton Rouge celebrations for St. Patrick’s Day are substantial enough to make Baton Rouge residents Irish for the weekend.
With parades, block parties and the ever-present bar night, the unofficial early weekend presents many outlets for students to celebrate. In downtown Baton Rouge, Happy’s Irish Pub will celebrate its Irish heritage from 10 a.m. today until 2 a.m. for patrons 21 and older.
“We’re obviously going above and beyond,” said Andrew Bayard, Happy’s general manager. “We love doing this event because it’s our one day of the year to blow it out.”
Happy’s will have live entertainment all Thursday evening.
“We’re going to have bands, live entertainment outside the whole day,” Bayard said. “We’ve got David Fournet, Jason Martin and then the band Furr from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.”
Happy’s will feature Irish Car Bomb toasts at noon, 6 p.m. and midnight. Everyone at the bar will participate, Bayard said.
“We’ve done it every year, and we’re one of the more authentic Irish pubs in Baton Rouge,” Bayard said. “Our slogan for the day is ‘Everybody’s Irish here.'”
Another downtown location, the Center for Planning Excellence on the second floor of Shaw Center of the Arts, will host its “Red Stick Green Drinks” event, a happy hour social for environmentally conscious patrons to drink and converse about green ideas, said Jennifer Stenhouse, outreach manager for CPEX.
Dylan Barclay, history freshman, said low-key events are more fun.
“St. Patty’s Day is a huge party, but after a midterms week like this, the less people, the better it will be,” Barclay said.
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The event promotes synergistic learning and is a great time, Stenhouse said. The event will feature products from local businesses including Kleinpeter Farms Dairy, Tin Roof Brewing Company and Oakland Organic.
“It’s a worldwide event,” Stenhouse said. “This time the theme is ‘Keeping it local,’ so we have ice cream from Kleinpeter’s … and kale and greens from Oakland.”
While these events are today only, Perkins Road will light up Saturday with the Schlittzapalooza 2011 block party and the 26th annual St. Patrick’s Day parade.
“Schlittzapalooza 2011 is a huge block party where we block off Ferndale Street, and it will encompass two DJs and three bands,” said Alicia Wise, Schlittz and Giggles manager. “It’s open to people of all ages.”
Schlittz and Giggles believes the popularity of the parade will help attract more patrons to the block party.
“St. Patrick’s Day is a huge deal over here, so it’s a one-year anniversary for us and a Patty’s Day extravaganza,” Wise said. “It’s on the parade route, and we start at 7 a.m. with the bands playing til midnight.”
Of course, there is the St. Patrick’s Day parade, where students can familiarize themselves with one of Baton Rouge’s older traditions.
“Along the parade route, there are a multitude of family reunions going on,” said Pat Shingleton, parade founder and chief forecaster at WBRZ. “It’s the day. It’s our heritage. I’d like people to recognize the fact that St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. It’s not just about drinking and having a great time.”
University students past and present play a role in making the day special, said Mabyn Shingleton, float coordinator.
“The old LSU alumni band will be participating on a float playing their instruments,” Mabyn said. “We even have some fraternities and the Kappa Delta sorority helping. The sorority has a food booth set up on the route.”
Baton Rouge will be full with vigor, parties and celebrations in Tigerland, on Corporate Boulevard, Perkins Road and downtown.
Other venues include Chelsea’s Cafe, Fred’s Bar in Tigerland, Fox & Hound English Pub and The Chimes Restaurant and Tap Room. The Chimes will have green beer and Irish beer specials, according to Patrick Higgins, general manager.
 
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