You don’t have to be Irish to enjoy a few St. Patty’s Day festivities. Whether you hit the town every year or it’s your first time joining in on the tradition, here are five fun ways to celebrate!
West End Pub Crawl
March 9
Start the celebrating early with Allentown’s West End Pub crawl, which winds its way through 10 bars including Jack Callaghan’s Ale House, The Tavern on Liberty and Roosevelt’s. The $15 registration fee benefits the Allentown St. Patrick’s Parade and will get you a t-shirt to boot. We can’t promise that there will be green beer, but something tells us you might have the luck of the Irish with that.
6 p.m. | $15 | Allentown’s West End allentownstpatricksdayparade.com
The Irish Comedy Tour
March 15
Imagine yourself at a Dublin pub with some bawdy funnymen and that’s what you get with The Irish Comedy Tour. Three comedic geniuses from the Emerald Isle are in town for one night to poke fun at everything Irish and flaunt some of their most belly-laugh-worthy jokes. Catch Detroit native Derek Richards and Boston-born Mike McCarthy as they dish out the giggles, while Keith Aherne plays authentic Irish music straight from his native Dublin.
6 p.m. dinner, 7:30 p.m. show | $24-$29ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks | 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem610.332.1300 | artsquest.org
Celtic Classic Parade of Shamrocks
March 16
Bethlehem is going to paint the town green with their all-day parade event complete with Irish dancers, bagpipes and astounding floats from your favorite community groups. After the parade, bring your dancing shoes to the Sun Inn Courtyard for a free concert showcasing seven talented musicians. If that isn’t enough to tempt your inner leprechaun, head over to the Celtic Cultural Alliance at 6:30 p.m. for a ticketed Irish whiskey tasting, complete with an educational presentation and crystal whiskey glass for you to pocket.
1 p.m. | Free | Main Street Bethlehemcelticfest.org
West End St. Patrick’s Day 5K
March 17
Though they already reached their limit of 600 participants in record time, come out to cheer on the runners in green as they dash over the same course as the St. Patrick’s Day parade to follow. The race is known for having great fan support, so join the crowd for some merrymaking as the sea of green gets you in the spirit. Proceeds from the race benefit the West End Alliance supporting Allentown’s West End Theatre District.
12:15 p.m. | West End Allentownwestendstpats5k.com
Allentown St. Patrick’s Day Parade
March 17
The Lehigh Valley’s oldest Irish celebration is back for its 56th year of dancing, music, costumes and festive fun. The parade route will form at the Allentown Fairgrounds and wind along the streets of West End Allentown, passing by decorated houses and businesses. Prizes will be awarded to the “Best Porch Party,” “Best Decorated House,” “Best Decorated Office” and “Best Office Party.”
1:30 p.m. | West End Allentown610.462.3730 | allentownstpatricksdayparade.com
