Whether you are Irish or not, you will want to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th to gain a bit of luck. For many, this tradition of celebrating the holiday likely started young. After all, no one wants to be caught without wearing green to school for fear of getting pinched. Wearing green to avoid pinches continues into adulthood. However, holding a green beer in your hand as you host the best St. Patrick’s Day party around can save you from any failed attempts at green clothing.
You do not have to be Irish to join in the fun of Saint Patrick’s Day. In fact, all you need to have is a desire to have some fun. So, gather up your friends and family and get ready to put together the most perfect St. Patrick’s Day party.
Enjoy the fresh spring air
If you live anywhere near a region that struggles with a great deal of winter weather, come St. Patrick’s Day, you are going to want to get outdoors. Spring will be in the air, the scenery outdoors will be starting to blossom, and your lungs will be screaming for joy. Breathe in the fresh air by choosing to have your St. Patrick’s Day party outdoors. Now, of course, it may still be a bit chilly and the weather may not necessarily be conducive to an outdoor party, but that doesn’t mean you cannot have one. All you need is a tent.
A tent rental can provide you the perfect party space – whether in your own backyard, a local park, or a nearby vacant lot. These tents can be sized perfectly for your needs. In addition, they come with many optional accessories, such as side walls (to keep the rough weather out), flooring, and specialized lighting.
Give your guests a reason to get outside!
St. Patrick’s Day party décor galore
When you think of Saint Patrick’s Day, there are likely a few key things that always will come to mind first: the color green, a leprechaun, a rainbow, and a pot of gold. Therefore, when decorating for your St. Patrick’s Day party, you will most definitely want to incorporate these items into the décor. It is important to realize there are many different ways these can be used so as not to feel you are using generic decorations or going for the overkill.
Here are a few fun ideas:
- For table settings, use placemats made out of green moss. Write names for place settings on small, potted four-leaf clovers. And, lastly, consider using green mason jars as vases for colorful flowers. Create a rainbow of colors with these fresh, spring blooms.
- Line your tent in shades of green with fabric on the ceiling and walls. Or, choose to use fabric in an array of colors of the rainbow.
- Create a rainbow from one end of your event space to the other. And, since you know there is always a pot of gold, make sure to have a sweet treat for guests who wander to the end of the rainbow.
Green drinks and eats
A traditional Saint Patrick’s Day party menu may consist of:
- Guinness Beef Stew
- Corned beef and cabbage with potatoes and carrots
- Irish soda bread
You can choose to stick with tradition or you can veer off to an unbeaten path and change it up. It is your party, so it is your choice. Just, whatever you do, do not feel like you have to make all the food green.
Drinks, on the other hand, ought to be green. Whether you are making cocktails or mocktails, you can have fun with this one. We’ve put together a list that you may want to try:
- Green Fizz Midori cocktail, which uses kiwi and green apple to garnish.
- Leprechaun Kiss cocktail. One sip of this and you will learn those little leprechaun kisses are quite sour. But, you will keep coming back for more.
- Sparkling Shamrock cocktail offers a light and tasty drink with green mint and lime as the garnish.
- Green Lemonade / Kiwi mocktail. This recipe calls for all fresh ingredients – and no alcohol. Of course, you could always spike it if the mood strikes.
- Non-alcoholic Mint Juleps. Be sure to garnish this one with some mint. You won’t miss the alcohol.
- Frozen Treats. You can take virtually any green fruit juice and blend it with ice to offer a nice, green and sweet treat – especially for the kiddos. Serve in margarita glasses.
Entertain like a leprechaun
Games are fun at any age. It doesn’t matter if you are hosting a St. Patrick’s Day party for little kids, for adults, or for everyone from 1 to 101. Get your guests together for some enjoyment and laughter with these games:
- Gold coin toss. Everyone is always trying to take the gold from the pot, but this game has you trying to return it. Similar to cornhole, set the pots a fair distance away and attempt to toss in the gold coin.
- Learn some Irish dance moves. Have someone teach your guests the dances and then put them to music. (Perhaps this may be most fun after a few adult beverages.)
- Slime-making fun. If you are into this ooey-gooey stuff, have fun making some green slime with your party guests.
If you want to add to the entertainment, you can always choose to hire a local Irish band to play for your party. After all, music and parties are always a hit.
Take home goodies
They may not say it, but most guests get excited when they are able to take something home from a party. It can be a simple piece of candy, an elaborate gift, or anything in between. The point is to your guest home with a little gift for coming to your party.
- Baggies of Skittles so that they may have a little taste of the rainbow
- Homemade decorated shamrock cookies
- A potted clover plant
- A pot of gold (use chocolate gold coins or Rolos candy)
It is the thought that counts – any sweet treat will do.
A St. Patrick’s Day party is only as good as you make it. Spend some time putting this party together and make all of your guests feel a little bit luckier.