SeeCalifornia.com

Are you dressing up for St. Patrick’s Day on March 17? Costumes include the St. Patrick’s Day Lucky Beer Suit (around $50-60), the ever popular Leprechaun outfit for men & boys, plus variations of the Leprechaun Ride-On Costume ($50-75). Amazon, Party World and the Halloween Costumes all offer online ordering & shipping. If you’re Irish and you know it, you may own a clan kilt, your go-to outfit.

California doesn’t have the largest percent of Irish descendants in the nation but we do have the most, with a population exceeding two million who declare themselves Irish.

In addition to Irish newspapers, service clubs, Irish Beach, and golf courses on the central and northern California coast that remind golfers of similar fairways and greens in Ireland, California also celebrates St. Patrick’s Day in a big, big way…

The City of San Francisco raised of the Irish flag over City Hall on March 8, 2019 to officially kick-off of St. Patrick’s Day activities. Each year they also turn City Hall green with ceremonies taking place this year on March 16 and 17 at 6 p.m.

Other noteworthy events take place in San Diego, which includes a huge street party in Gaslamp called shamRock. It features blocks of bands on multiple stages, DJs, costumes, dancing, drinking and all sorts of merriment. It’s an adults only event, but for families and kids the better choice is the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival in Balboa Park.

While parties, festivals and parades abound, give yourself extra time when planning to hit the town. If you see an Irish restaurant or bar and there’s not a line out the door — something’s wrong!

Also beware of drinking and driving. St. Patrick’s Day is one of the deadliest days of the year for drunk-driving fatalities, according to statistics from the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration. Nearly three-fourths of those deaths involved drivers who were twice the legal limit, according to the NHTSA.