St Patrick's Day 2027 falls on Wednesday 17 March, and the midweek date changes the shape of the celebrations. Dublin's festival runs across several days around it, and most American cities move their parades to the nearest Saturday - which in 2027 means 13 or 20 March rather than the 17th itself. If you want the parade, check the city's date. If you want the day, the Wednesday is quieter, cheaper and in Ireland more authentic.
| Destination | What you get | Parade timing in 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Dublin, Ireland | The national festival, several days long | Parade on the day, 17 March |
| Chicago, USA | The river dyed green; the biggest US spectacle | Usually the Saturday before |
| Boston, USA | South Boston's parade and the deepest Irish roots | Usually the Sunday nearest 17 March |
| New York City, USA | The oldest and largest parade in the world | Held on 17 March unless it falls on a Sunday |
| Savannah, Georgia, USA | The South's biggest celebration, and a beautiful city | Usually on or near the day |
| Montserrat, Caribbean | The only other country with a St Patrick's public holiday | A week-long festival |
| Galway and the west of Ireland | Traditional music and no crowds | Local parades on the day |
| Belfast, Northern Ireland | A smaller, quieter city celebration | On the day |
What a midweek St Patrick's Day means for 2027
Because 17 March 2027 is a Wednesday, the two halves of the celebration separate. In Ireland it is a public holiday and the day itself is the event - Dublin's parade runs on the 17th and the festival programme spreads across the surrounding days. In the United States, most parades move to the nearest weekend, so Chicago, Boston and many smaller cities will run theirs on Saturday 13 or Saturday 20 March, with the Wednesday as a pub day rather than a parade day.
That split is useful. It means you can see a parade one weekend and be in Ireland for the actual holiday, and it means that if crowds are what you want to avoid, the Wednesday in most American cities is comparatively calm. Always check the individual city's announced date rather than assuming, because several cities alternate between the Saturday before and after.
Dublin and Ireland
Dublin's St Patrick's Festival is a multi-day programme built around the parade on 17 March, and the city is at its busiest and most expensive of the entire year for it. Accommodation for 16-18 March should be booked by the previous autumn. If you want the holiday without the crush, Galway, Cork, Kilkenny and Westport all run their own parades with a fraction of the visitors and, in Galway particularly, far better traditional music.
Mid-March weather in Ireland is unreliable - expect 8-12C, wind and a real chance of rain on any given day - so this is a city and pub trip rather than a walking one. The upside is that it sits just before the Irish tourist season, so outside the festival weekend the country is cheap and empty.
The American cities
Chicago dyes the Chicago River green on the morning of its parade day and it is the single most photographed St Patrick's Day image in the world. The dyeing happens hours before the parade, so plan for an early start.
New York runs the oldest and largest parade anywhere - it has been held since the 18th century and takes hours to pass. It is held on 17 March itself unless that falls on a Sunday, so in 2027 expect it on the Wednesday.
Boston has the deepest Irish-American roots of any US city and its South Boston parade is usually held on the Sunday nearest the 17th. Savannah runs the largest celebration in the South, and unlike the northern cities its weather in mid-March is genuinely pleasant - high teens and the squares in bloom.
The one that surprises people: Montserrat
Montserrat in the eastern Caribbean is the only place outside Ireland where St Patrick's Day is a public holiday, and the reason is not a marketing exercise - the island was settled by Irish indentured labourers and Irish surnames and place names are still everywhere. The festival runs for about a week and commemorates a 1768 slave uprising planned for St Patrick's Day as well as the Irish heritage, so it has a weight that the green-beer versions do not.
Getting there takes effort: fly to Antigua, then a short flight or the ferry. Two thirds of the island is still an exclusion zone around the Soufriere Hills volcano, which erupted in 1995 and buried the former capital. Guided visits to the edge of the zone are part of what makes it an extraordinary place to be in March.
Related guides
See also best places to visit in March 2027, best city breaks in Europe, best places to visit in March 2028.
Frequently asked questions
When is St Patrick's Day 2027?
Wednesday 17 March 2027. Because it falls midweek, most American cities will hold their parades on the nearest Saturday - 13 or 20 March - while Dublin's parade is on the day itself, which is a public holiday in Ireland.
Where is the best place to celebrate St Patrick's Day?
Dublin for the national festival on the day, Chicago for the dyed river and the biggest American spectacle, New York for the oldest and largest parade, Savannah for the best weather, and Montserrat for the only other country where it is a public holiday.
Is Dublin worth it for St Patrick's Day?
If you want the festival, yes - it is a multi-day programme and the city is genuinely transformed. It is also the most expensive and crowded weekend of Dublin's year, so book accommodation the previous autumn. Galway, Cork and Westport give you the holiday with far fewer people.
What is the weather like in Ireland in March?
Unreliable. Expect 8-12C, wind and a real chance of rain on any day. Mid-March sits just before the Irish tourist season, so outside the festival weekend the country is cheap and empty.
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Written by
John Morrison is the founder and lead travel writer at Packzup. Over the past decade he has explored destinations across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania — always self-funded, never on a press trip.
