The Blarney Stone at St. Patrick's

The Blarney Stone is an Irish-themed public house and restaurant in Gastown. It’s popular with people who like Irish beers, whiskies and St. Patrick’s Day.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY EVENTS in 2023

A couple of great events happen at the Blarney Stone Pub this year. The first takes place on St. Patrick’s Day Eve, on the Thursday of March 16th. That’s when the band Persons of Interest performs at the pub. That’s going to be a fun night! The same band performs the next evening at a different venue in North Vancouver.

This year the St. Patrick’s Day Festival at the Blarney Stone takes place on Friday, March 17th. 2023 marks the festival’s 50th anniversary. At the event there’s a brunch buffet from 9:00 to 11:00 am, as well as live entertainment throughout the day. Minors are allowed inside with a guardian until 5:00 pm, and the festival continues until 3:00 am. Tickets for the brunch cost about $27 each, whereas entry before 2:00 pm costs $38 per person.

Another awesome event to consider attending in 2023 is the Vancouver Saint Patrick’s Day Boat Party. It’s not actually related to the Blarney Stone. It happens on the Saturday though, so on March 18th and not at the same time as the Blarney Stone events. (TIP: With the boat party, if you use the promo code VBP25 you’ll save 25%!)

The Blarney Stone Pub

Established in 1972, the Blarney Stoney is the oldest Irish pub in Vancouver. Lots of events are hosted here including Irish appreciation parties, trivia nights, happy hours and St. Patrick’s Day events. There are usually live music concerts at the pub most Fridays and Saturdays as well.

With a selection of traditional Irish dishes as well as classic pub foods, there is something for everyone to eat. There are also many drink options including over a dozen different types of Irish whiskey, mixed drinks, wines and non-alcoholic beverages.

St. Patrick's Fan Outside the Blarney Stone — St. Patrick’s Day Outside The Blarney Stone

Weekly Events at the Blarney Stone

Various weekly events occur at the Blarney Stone. See below for information. (Note: Prices, times and other details are subject to change.)

Trivia Wednesdays

Taking place most Wednesdays starting at 8:00 pm, Trivia nights give you the opportunity to show off how smart you are. Every week someone is crowned the winner and awarded a fantastic prize. The best part? You can normally get a beer and plate of wings for only $12.25 during the trivia time (or at least that was the case the last time we checked, which was actually quite a while ago. It’s probably more expensive now).

Happy Hour

Happy Hour takes place at the Blarney Stone every day from 4:00 until 7:00 pm. On weekdays the happy hour menu used to feature $5.75 Guinness, $5.75 Jameson, $5.75 Jack Daniels and $6 Glenlivet. On weekends the happy hour special was $5.75 Guinness. Often there is also live music. (Note: Exact prices and specials’ details are subject to change.)

Festive Events at the Blarney Stone

The following events don’t occur very often, so take advantage of them and go if you can! They are usually worth checking out.

St. Patrick’s Day Festival

On March 17th the Blarney Stone hosts an all-day St. Patrick’s Day festival most years, including in 2023. Starting at 9:00 am with an Irish brunch, the place is open until 3:00 am.

Throughout the day there is entertainment in the pub as well as outside in the street. Entertainment includes live music performances, DJ music and Celtic dancers. Those under 19 years of age are allowed in until 5:00 pm with a parent or legal guardian.

Tickets are available online. Tickets for the brunch buffet cost $27 and entry before 2 pm costs $38. If you want to enter the festival after 2:00 pm there are usually tickets available at the door (until they sell out of course).

Irish Appreciation Party

This gathering for fans of Ireland and whiskey was going to start at 6:00 pm on March 12th in 2020. The event got cancelled though because of COVID-19.

In years when it does happen, there are whiskey and Guinness samples available and free appetizers in the early evening. There is also live music and no cover charge most years. RSVP on their website to save your spot.

This event didn’t happen in 2022, at least not to our knowledge. It doesn’t look like it’s happening in 2023 either, although exact details are to be confirmed.

St. Patrick’s Week Family Festival

The St. Patrick’s Week Family Festival used to be a family-friendly event from around 11:00 am until 3:00 pm on a Sunday just before or after March 17th.

In years that it happened, the event featured an Irish brunch, Guinness beer, stilts-walking entertainers, face painting and various other kid-friendly activities. Admission to the “festival” was free, but you paid for your food and drinks.

This event didn’t happen last year and doesn’t appear to be happening in 2023 either, at least not to our knowledge. Hopefully it returns in the future.

Other Information

For more information about the pub see The Blarney Stone website. For further details about the above events, click Blarney Stone Events.

If you like live music and find yourself in Gastown at night, then also check out Guilt & Company which is located at #1 Alexander (so just down the street). It’s one of our favourite places!

For a list of other restaurants and pubs in the Vancouver area check out Vancouver Places to Eat & Drink.

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