The St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Sunday March 16th
Downtown Vancouver between Howe and Davie is home to CelticFest’s most popular and enduring event. Grab breakfast or brunch at one of many great local restaurants in the West End and cheer with over 200,000 like minded folks. Don’t forget to wear your green, and bring your dancing shoes to keep up with all the Celtic musicians, Scottish and Irish Dancers, not to mention the vintage cars and many other performances.
There are a ton of other great activities through this weekend in Vancouver. Check out the website for more information and even if St. Patrick’s Day isn’t exactly for you, the parade just might be a fun way to spend the day with the whole family. The parade starts at 11am sharp but you may want to arrive early for a prime seat and parking. Look online for changes to parking routes to make the most of the day!
See Spirit of the West play at the Commodore Ballroom
Saturday March 15th
If you’re lucky, you’ll still be able to grab your partner and head on down to Granville Street for a not too rowdy night of music by one of Canada’s most enduring popular bands. You’ll get right into the spirit of St. Patty’s Day with hits like ‘Home For A Rest’ or ‘The Crawl.’
This isn’t the first time the Canadian rockers have played a show on St. Patrick’s Day in Vancouver, it’s been a running tradition for years. If you’re looking for a great way to find the true sprit of the day, you can’t really do better than a live show on Granville Street, just stay clear of all the crazy college kids once you leave and immediately run as fast as you can out of the core.
One last thing about the Commodore show, it’s not for kids, so leave the minors at home. The alcohol license prevents them from entering even if the music is perfectly fine.
All Day Pub Party At The Blarney Stone
March 15th-17th All Day Saturday, Sunday & Monday
First, a disclaimer. At publishing time, Saturday evening was sold out, but Saturday day, Sunday and Monday still had limited tickets available. There is also no cover before 8pm on Saturday, for those of you on a budget.
If you’re somehow not working Monday and can make it on actual St. Patrick’s Day, you might want to head on down to the Blarney Stone in Gastown. Three stages, all day events starting at 11am Saturday and 9am Sunday and Monday, not to mention Stilt Walking, Fire Dancers and Irish Dancing. There is even a street party for the kids with free face painting and balloon twisting on the weekend around lunch time.
What’s more? The proceeds for the festival are donated to Athletics for Kids, so drinking green beer actually does someone some good! Who knew?
Easter Egg Train
March 15th & 16th, Saturday & Sunday
How about something a little different if St. Patrick’s Day isn’t your thing?
So this one isn’t exactly anything to do with Saint Patrick. If we’re being honest, neither is most of St. Patrick’s Day. But It is a fun alternative for the whole family that should get you outside if the weather is right. The Easter Egg train transforms the Stanley Park Miniature train for children who want to see the Easter Bunny and just can’t wait until April.
Check the train times and pricing on the official website. If you miss the train now but want to check it out again at Easter time, it opens again April 16th for one week only!
