Like some holidays, the meaning of the day can get lost behind the stereotype it has developed over the years. Maybe in the past you’ve used the day as an excuse to drink beer on a pub crawl with friends or have one too many Guinness’s. Here’s some facts about St. Patrick’s Day that you might not have known!
- St Patrick’s day is the official death date of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland who brought about the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. It’s a celebration of Irish culture and heritage.
- The day was first celebrated in 1631 when the Church established a Feast Day honouring St. Patrick.
- St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in more countries than any other national festival or holiday. Irish communities that migrated to North America transformed St. Patrick’s Day into the huge celebration that you may recognise today, filled with parades, green decorations and an overall commemoration of Irish culture.
So now we know a bit more about why St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated – how can you celebrate Irish culture and traditions alcohol-free?
Chances are there will be lots of St. Patrick’s Day events in your local area! London will be hosting it’s parade and festival in Trafalgar Square, along with other cities like Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham and more. Head along and relish in some vibrant Irish culture and spend the day outside as Spring begins to enter the UK.
You can also celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by attending a Ceilidh, which is a traditional Irish and Scottish social gathering. There will be plenty of fiddles and accordions playing to get you in the spirit. Many local areas will be hosting these in your towns and cities so have a look online and find one near you.
Maybe you fancy doing something a bit different? You can do Puppy Yoga in Manchester with a fun St. Patrick’s Day twist, or if you fancy getting your steps in you can follow an Art trail featuring murals of Irish icons through Manchester.
You don’t have to go out to celebrate the day though. Let’s face it, having a theme can be the best way to have a bit of fun and get creative. Why not try getting in the kitchen and creating some traditional Irish food and drink, or really leaning into the green theme.
You could go down the traditional baking route and bake some Irish sourdough or get your mixology skills on and create an alcohol-free Shamrock Sour or a Cucumber and Basil alcohol-free Margarita to give your drink a green twist. You can find some alcohol-free options here on our website to complete your mocktails.
If you’re wanting a quick win, you can just use some food dye and turn your alcohol-free beer…GREEN! This is a classic North American twist on St Patrick’s Day, they even dye the river running through Chicago bright green!
If you’re just wanting to keep it simple, and you still want to get out to the pub with your friends as you normally would, Guinness 0.0% is loved by many! Switch out the beers you’d usually be having for this and we guarantee you’ll still have the perfect St. Patrick’s Day.
St. Patrick’s Day does not need to revolve around alcohol. It’s a time to celebrate Irish culture with your friends and family, and actually there are a lot of ways you can do this without drinking.
