St. Patrick’s Day – Events in Anchorage
St. Patrick’s Day is an Irish cultural and religious celebration. The U.S greatly embraces the festivities, as do other parts of the world. If you can’t go to Ireland for the celebration, let it come to you.
Traditional celebrations include attending parades, wearing shamrocks (or anything green for that matter), drinking green beer and much more. Shamrocks are a big symbol of the Irish culture, after all, most of us have heard about ‘the luck of the Irish.’
This year, St. Patrick’s Day falls on Sunday, March 17. This means that this weekend, Anchorage is turning green. Dress up in green, add a few fun accessories, and hit some exciting events in Anchorage.
To embrace the festivities, here are some ways you can celebrate St. Patty’s day in Anchorage. Whether you choose to go after the celebrations or have them come to you, Anchorage has plenty to offer.
Music and Dance
Songs are a great way to embrace traditions and celebrations. The mix between storytelling, melodies and instruments teach you a lot about a culture. Anchorage is full of musical events during St. Patrick’s Day.
Anchorage has some of their very own Irish-inspired performers. The Northern Lights Celtic Dancers celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with an annual performance. They foster the traditional Irish step, Ceili and team dancing. The Irish Dance Academy of Alaska is also a great way to get involved. They are a nonprofit youth organization that promotes the passion for Irish dancing. Performers have achieved Regional, National and World class recognition.
The Irish Cultural Collective will also be putting on their own event at the Hard Rock Café in Anchorage, on March 17. Enjoy a free, family-friendly live Irish music and dancing. You can also enjoy the restaurant’s menu for a nice dinner.
Spotify has put together a ‘Happy St. Patrick’s Day’ playlist with – you guessed it – Irish related songs. Another interesting mix is Time Out’s Irish song suggestions. In either, you can find anything from U2 to Ed Sheeran and Celtic Woman.
Staying In
If you chose to stay in, turn on that Irish music and grab some food. Some traditional St. Patrick’s food ideas include corned beef, sautéed cabbage and Irish brown bread. You can also go all out on the decorations. JOANN Fabrics and Crafts has a great variety of St. Patrick’s decoration ideas and is conveniently located next door to Aptel. Everything from shamrocks to green tablecloth, apparel & accessories and leprechaun decorations. You can surely turn your home away from home into an Irish wonderland. Aptel’s rooms are equipped with kitchenettes and everything needed to whip up and Irish feast.
5K Run in Anchorage
For an active and energetic start to the day, join the Shamrock Shuffle from Skinny Raven on Saturday, March 16. The race starts and finishes at Bear Tooth Theatrepub. This annual event is much more than a race. It’s an event that brings people of all ages and interests together. Also, if you don’t have St. Patty’s gear, don’t worry. They will provide you with your own goodie bag. Grab your new beanie, t-shirt, pint glass and a coupon for a beverage at Bear Tooth. The theatre-pub will also be serving breakfast burritos starting at 8:30 a.m.
Explore and Eat
No St. Patrick’s day is complete without a pub crawl and lots of delicious food.
Hard Rock Café in downtown Anchorage will also be joining the celebration. The restaurant chain will be hosting an H3 concert on Friday, March 15 at 9 p.m. You can even come in earlier for dinner if you choose to.
On Saturday, March 16, from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., you can join the crowd on a downtown Anchorage pub crawl. Do more than raise a glass for St. Patty’s day. Whoever completes the pub crawl map gets a chance to win a pair of round-trip tickets on Alaska Airlines. This is a great chance to experience downtown Anchorage and visit all the amazing bars the city has to offer.
Williwaw and Midnight Sun Brewing Company will be hosting their event on March 17. ‘Let’s Get Lucked Up is an all-day Irish immersed event with traditional food and festive drinks. Don’t forget you too can embrace some Irish taste by having the famous Jameson. There will be giveaways and prizes throughout the day, so keep your eyes open for that!
There are plenty of St. Patty’s event going on during the whole weekend in downtown Anchorage and the surrounding areas. If you are looking for an affordable and comfortable place to stay for the weekend, Aptel is just 10 minutes away. We don’t want you to worry about driving long distances during the weekend-long celebration.