St. Patrick’s Day is on March 17 and all week there are Irish celebrations including Vancouver’s CelticFest, parties at pubs and other Irish events.

Taking place during the St. Patrick’s Day season there are concerts, festivals and other events.

For a list of great places to enjoy a pint of Guinness or green beer, click Irish Bars & Pubs in Vancouver. To learn about other events taking place at other times this month, see our Vancouver March Calendar. To learn about St. Patrick’s Day-themed events in the Lower Mainland, continue reading.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY RUN IN BURNABY

The Shamrock’n Race features 5-km, 7-mile and 21.1-km runs around Burnaby Lake Regional Park. In 2024, the race happens exactly on St. Patrick’s Day, so on Sunday, March 17th. For more information see our Shamrock’n Race article or visit the tryevents.ca website.

Saint Patrick’s Day Week

In 2024 St. Patrick’s Day is on the Sunday before the first week of Spring Break, with the rest of the school holidays running from March 18th until the 28th.

Taking place around the same time as the start of school Spring Break, CelticFest is an Irish Festival in Vancouver. This year, CelticFest features in-person activities from March 13th to the 21st. Continue reading below to learn more about the festival and other ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in 2024.

CelticFest Vancouver

CelticFest Vancouver features numerous events over the week of and weekends just before and after St. Patrick’s Day. Some events happening this year include the following:

• Thursday, March 14th, 2024 – a night of comedy hosted by Amy Walsh at Donnellan’s Irish Pub in Vancouver.
• Friday, March 15th, 2024 – Ceilidh takes place at night with singing and dancing at the Hellenic Community Centre. Performing at the event is the band Blackthorn.
• Saturday, March 16th, 2024 – a concert with the Vancouver Welsh Men’s Choir at the Christ Church Cathedral. Free celebrations outside of the Vancouver Art Gallery also take place today.
• Sunday, March 17th, 2024 – Twin Embers and Dani Larkin perform at Mel Lehan Hall at St. James Community Square.

For more information about the festival, check out CelticFest Vancouver.

Other St. Patrick’s Events

The following events also happen in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.

• St. Patrick’s Day Festival – a one-day celebration at The Blarney Stone Pub that starts at 9:00 am on March 17th in 2024. Brunch is available and families with kids are welcome inside until 5:00 pm. Live music and other entertainment continues until 2:00 am.
• Shamrock’n Race – 5-km, 7-mile and half marathon runs around Burnaby Lake Regional Park on the Sunday before St. Patrick’s Day. In 2024 the event takes place on March 17th.
• Celtic Fest in Surrey – a free event with Celtic music and family-friendly activities at the Museum of Surrey. The festivities run between 1:00 and 4:00 pm on Saturday, March 23rd in 2024, so about one week after St. Patrick’s Day.

Although unrelated to St. Patrick’s Day, there’s also an Eagles tribute concert happening on Monday, March 18th in 2024. It takes place at the Kay Meek Arts Centre in West Vancouver. To learn more about the event see our article about Vancouver Tribute Concerts.

ST. PATRICK’S IN VICTORIA

If you plan to be on Vancouver Island in March then be sure to check out Victoria’s St. Patrick’s Day Festival. In 2024 the event takes place on Sunday, March 10th, so about one week before St. Patrick’s Day.

Click St. Patrick’s Day Festival in Victoria to learn more.

Irish Pubs Around Vancouver

Looking for an Irish pub to celebrate the St. Patrick’s season at? Then click Vancouver Irish Pubs for some Celtic suds and fun. Local Irish-themed bars include places like the Blarney Stone and Mahony’s Tavern in downtown Vancouver. There are also Kelly O’Bryan’s restaurants in both New Westminster and Kitsilano.

Other Information

Click Spring Break in Metro Vancouver for ideas on things to do during the school break with your family, or North Shore Family Activities for adventure ideas and things to do in North and West Vancouver.

For lists of other events in the Lower Mainland click March Calendar or Festivals & Events.

Other articles that might be of interest include the following:

• Irish Pubs in Vancouver
• CelticFest Vancouver
• Vancouver Shows & Entertainment
• What’s Happening in Vancouver
• Lower Mainland Restaurants
• Vancouver Beers and Breweries
• Oktoberfest Events in Vancouver

There used to be a St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Vancouver, up until 2016. That, however, no longer happens.

For a list of places to celebrate March 17th up at BC’s largest ski resort, see the website WhatToDoInWhistler.ca. To learn about St. Patrick’s Day events in the province’s capital, see the website Victoriasbestplaces.com.