St. Patrick's Day Party Ideas

St. Patrick's Day Party Costume Ideas

• Think green! Green clothes, green hair, green socks, and even green face paint or small temporary tattoos are all good choices.

• Green party beads are inexpensive, and if you wear a whole lot at once, you can always trade them for kisses.

• St. Patrick's Day buttons are a traditional wardrobe addition.

Here are some more fun options:

St. Patrick's Day Party Activities

Start with some great Irish party music -- Jigs and reels are lively toe tappers, and there are some well-known Irish musicians such as The Chieftains, U2, and Sinead O'Connor, whose music you might also consider. "Danny Boy" is an Irish classic, and is fun to include as a sing-along.

Here are the lyrics:

Danny Boy
Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side
The summer's gone, and all the flowers are dying
'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow
'Tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow
Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so.

And if you come, when all the flowers are dying
And I am dead, as dead I well may be
You'll come and find the place where I am lying
And kneel and say an "Ave" there for me.

And I shall hear, tho' soft you tread above me
And all my dreams will warm and sweeter be
If you'll not fail to tell me that you love me
I'll simply sleep in peace until you come to me.

I'll simply sleep in peace until you come to me.

Have a Limerick Contest -- As the party gets going, pass out papers and suggest that everyone come up with their own limerick. Guaranteed to get a few laughs...

Have a Scavenger Hunt -- Before the party, hide a horseshoe, a four leaf clover, or a little leprechaun and challenge your guests to see if they can find the hidden treasure during the party. To make things even more interesting you might write up some clues to follow.

Play Some Drinking Games -- A Saint Patrick's Day party is a great excuse to play some drinking games. Quarters and beer pong are two well-known options. For a huge list of others, visit www.fundrinkinggames.com

Have an Irish Dance Contest -- If things get lively as the night goes on, host an Irish dance contest. Play some lively music and choose three judges (the non-dancers in the group) to rate each participant on a scale of 1-10. Give the winner a fun prize that goes along with the Irish party theme.

Make an Irish Accent Rule -- For a funny twist on the evening, impose an Irish accent rule at the front door. With this, everyone has to speak with an Irish accent all night, and if they are caught not using it they have to pay a penalty (take a drink, get a pinch, or maybe give the person who caught them a kiss!)

Go on a Pub Crawl -- Find a great Irish pub in your area as the starting place to kick off a pub crawl. From there chart a course to all of your favorite bars and show your St. Patrick's Day spirit! A fun twist on this is to host an Irish House Crawl where the hosts at each stop provide a different Irish themed drink and appetizer. (Make sure to assign a designated driver for these activities to keep things safe.)

St. Patrick's Day Party Foods and Drinks

• Chips and green salsa
• Bowls of pistachios
• Hard boiled eggs with dyed green shells
• Bowls of green M&Ms or green jelly beans

Drinks

• Green beer (just add one or two drops of food coloring to a light beer)
• Guinness
• Green jello shots

• Irish coffee
  * 1 1/2 oz. Irish whiskey
  * 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  * 6 oz. hot coffee
  * (to taste) heavy cream
  

• Irish Flag Cocktail
  * 1/2 ounce Green Creme de Menthe
  * 1/2 ounce Bailey's Irish Creme
  * 1/2 ounce Grand Marnier Orange Liqueur
  * Carefully pour each ingredient in the order listed into a shot glass. Each ingredient will sit on top of the other and look just like a little Irish flag.

• Irish Car Bomb Cocktail
  * 1/2 pint Guinness
  * 1/2 ounce Bailey's Irish Cream
  * 1/2 ounce Irish Whiskey
  * Fill a Beer Glass with 1/2 pint of chilled Guinness. Let it settle. Fill a shot glass with Bailey's and Whiskey. Drop the shot glass, glass and all, into the Guinness just before drinking. This surprisingly tastes a lot like a Dr. Pepper float!

Hope you found some St. Patrick's Day party ideas that will help you celebrate the wearing o' the green with style!

If you enjoyed these St. Patrick's Day party ideas, you might also enjoy these parties:

March Madness Party

Red Cup Party

Easter Party