St. Patrick’s Day is on Wednesday, March 17, 2027, and it falls on March 17 every year. It began as the feast day of Ireland’s patron saint and grew into a worldwide celebration of Irish culture. In the U.S., it means parades, green clothing and, for many, corned beef and cabbage.
When Is St. Patrick’s Day?
It’s always March 17, the traditional date of St. Patrick’s death. It isn’t a federal holiday, so schools and offices usually stay open. Many cities hold their parades on the weekend before March 17.
Who Was St. Patrick?
Patrick wasn’t Irish. He was born in Britain to a wealthy family near the end of the fourth century, History.com reports. At 16, Irish raiders kidnapped him, and he spent about six years in captivity, likely as a shepherd.
He escaped, then later returned to Ireland as a Christian missionary. He’s believed to have died around A.D. 461, on March 17. His own writing, the Confessio, survives today.
America’s first St. Patrick’s Day parade
It was in St. Augustine, Florida, in 1601. Historian J. Michael Francis of the University of South Florida found it in Spanish colonial records. The colony’s Irish vicar, Ricardo Artur, likely organized it.
That’s more than a century before Boston’s 1737 celebration and New York City’s 1762 parade. New York’s parade is now one of the best known in the world.
What Does St. Patrick’s Day Celebrate?
It honors Ireland’s patron saint and, especially in the U.S., Irish heritage. About 32.4 million people, or 9.5% of U.S. residents, claimed Irish ancestry in 2024, the U.S. Census Bureau reports.
Another 116,641 residents were born in Ireland. Cook County, Illinois, which includes Chicago, has the largest Irish-American population of any county.
How to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day
- Bake Irish soda bread: it needs only flour, baking soda, salt and buttermilk, and no yeast.
- Cook an Irish meal: try bacon and cabbage, colcannon or a lamb stew.
- Catch a parade: check your city’s schedule, since many hold parades on the weekend before.
- Trace your roots: search free census and immigration records at your local library.
- Listen to Irish music: look for a local trad session with fiddles, tin whistles and bodhrán drums, or stream a playlist.
- Celebrate safely: if you’re 21 or older and drinking, plan a sober ride home.
Is Corned Beef and Cabbage Irish?
It’s mostly Irish-American. In Ireland, cattle were valued for milk and labor, so pork and bacon were the common meats, Smithsonian Magazine explains.
In American cities, Irish immigrants could afford more meat. They often shopped at kosher butchers, where corned beef brisket was easy to find. “Corned” refers to the corn-kernel-size salt crystals once used to cure it.
Why Does Chicago Dye Its River Green?
The tradition started in 1962, and the local plumbers union has sponsored it ever since. Union leader Stephen Bailey reportedly got the idea after seeing a plumber’s dye-stained green coveralls.
The dye is an orange, vegetable-based powder that turns green when it hits the water. Boats spread it along about a quarter mile of the river downtown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did St. Patrick drive the snakes out of Ireland?
No. That story is a legend, not history.
Has a president attended New York’s parade?
Yes. President Harry S. Truman attended New York City’s St. Patrick’s Day parade in 1948.
Is March Irish-American Heritage Month?
Yes. Congress named March Irish-American Heritage Month in 1991, the Census Bureau notes.
Sources
- History.com – Who Was Saint Patrick?
- FOX 29 – The first St. Patrick’s Day parade in the U.S. was held in Florida, historians say
- U.S. Census Bureau – Irish-American Heritage Month and St. Patrick’s Day: March 2026
- Smithsonian Magazine – Is Corned Beef Really Irish?
- WTTW News – Why Does Chicago Dye the River Green for St. Patrick’s Day?