St. Patrick’s Day in London is celebrated with lots of enthusiasm, with many events and activities taking place across the city. As London turns green to embrace the Irish spirit, there’s no shortage of an exciting atmosphere to hang out with friends and explore the vibrant city. From Irish pubs blasting traditional music to energetic parades, London offers diverse opportunities to dive into the festive occasion. Not only can you engage in cultural immersion and culinary delights, but it allows you to reconnect with your heritage or simply appreciate the practices of other customs. Below I’ll highlight a couple of activities you can engage with in this weekend to ensure you get the most out of St.Paddy’s Day: 

St. Patrick’s Day Festival in Camden 

From March 15-17, there is a St. Patrick’s Day Festival with many drop-in activities accessible to everyone in Camden Market. Many of these events are free, so anyone can immerse in Irish culture. From 2.00pm-3.30pm on March 16th, there are performances from McGahan Lees Irish Dance Academy, where the dancers will perform three 20-minute sets between Hawley’s Wharf’s Open Space and Camden Market’s North Yard. Another free event from 1.30pm-4.30pm is the Irish-inspired face and hand painting in The Quay and Hawley Wharf Event Arch. If you’d like to just pop in for a bit on St. Paddy’s Day, there is a festive Irish Music Parade with drummers and dancers performing three times from 1.30pm-4.30pm between Hawley Wharf’s Open Space and Camden Market’s North Yard. The face and hand painting will also take place on this day at the same time and location from March 16th. This is a great way to explore Irish culture as you witness Irish performances and crafts throughout St. Paddy’s weekend.

Irish Pubs 

An easy go-to place for St. Paddy’s Day is the one of the many pubs in London, occasionally offering Irish music and specials for the drinks during this festive day. The Auld Shillelagh was titled the “most authentic Irish pub in the world outside of Ireland” by the Irish Times. This is a well-sought-after pub for St. Paddy’s Day, considering it fills the area with endless balloons and entertainment with traditional Irish music. For a pub closer to campus, the Porterhouse in Covent Garden provides an enormous selection of drinks, ranging from ales to stouts, although you should definitely be ordering the classic Irish Guinness on St. Paddy’s Day. It also has a basement bar, creating a mystical Irish atmosphere with many televisions oftentimes playing football games. All the drinks are also hand-crafted by Dublin breweries and shipped over for consumption to ensure you get an authentic Irish experience. Alternatively, there is the classic option of going to the Shakespeare Wetherspoon next to campus. It is critical to note that this pub is offering St. Patrick’s Day special offers for the weekend from March 15th to March 17th. Each day is headlined with a neat event, with March 15 labelled for Cheltenham Gold Cup Day, Six Nations Super Saturday on the 16th, and St. Paddy’s Day on the 17th.