When is St. Patrick’s Day? Here’s why we celebrate the holiday
Who was Saint Patrick and why do we celebrate him? Here’s what to know about St. Patrick’s Day.
March is almost here, meaning warmer weather and St. Patrick’s Day are just around the corner, and Vermont is getting ready to celebrate.
The state’s large Irish population leads to celebrations all month long, from parades to festivals to skiing challenges. With festive Celtic music, traditional Irish dancing, decorated floats and of course, lots and lots of green, Vermont is sure to have a St. Patrick’s Day event for everyone.
Here’s a roundup of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the greater Burlington area that will keep you celebrating the Irish holiday all March long.
Burlington Irish Heritage Festival
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day throughout March with the Burlington Irish Heritage Festival, a cultural month-long festival that gathers local musicians, dancers and artists for events that celebrate Irish-American culture in Burlington.
This year’s 30th annual festival kicks off on Sunday, March 2 with ceili dancing from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Richmond Free Library Community Room. Music concerts, language learning sessions, poetry readings, dance performances and more will take place up until the headline event, a concert from The Murphy Beds at Contois Auditorium on Sunday, March 16.
A full schedule of events for the festival can be found on the Burlington Irish Heritage website.
PaddyFest
Rí Rá, an authentic Irish pub, offers another multi-day celebration in Burlington.
From March 10-17, the pub will be jam-packed with events for PaddyFest, including live music, Irish dance performances, Guinness glass engraving and rugby game watches, all while a special St. Patrick’s menu is available to snack on.
Rí Rá is located on 123 Church St. A full schedule of events for St. Patrick’s week can be found here.
The Lucky Leprechaun Challenge
Want to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on the slopes? Head to Smugglers’ Notch Resort in Jeffersonville on Sunday, March 16 for the Lucky Leprechaun Challenge.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., skiers who head down Morse Mountain can collect raffle tickets from a leprechaun, with extra tickets offered for wearing green. All tickets should be submitted at FunZone 2.0 by 3:30 p.m., with prize drawings beginning at 3:45 p.m.
Food and drink specials will also be available from ReFuel Café for all participants. Smugglers’ Notch Resort can be found at 4323 Vermont Rte. 108 in Jeffersonville.
Saint Albans St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival
Back for its 11th year, the Saint Albans St. Patrick’s Day Parade will take place on St. Patrick’s Day itself, Monday, March 17. The parade will start at the top of Taylor Park and make its way to City Hall.
There, a parade afterparty will keep the festivities going all day long, with music, dance, shamrock tattoos, Irish food and even green punch.
S.D. Ireland Truck Parade
Burlington’s Church Street Marketplace will also host a parade on St. Patrick’s Day, where the S.D. Ireland construction company parades over 15 cement trucks down the Marketplace in an annual celebration that raises money for cancer research.
The marketplace’s parade will start at 3 p.m. on Monday, March 17.
