How to Have a Great St. Patrick’s Day Weekend

Knoxville Urban Guy·
Events
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St. Patrick's Day Parade and Celebration, Knoxville, March 2019
St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Celebration, Knoxville, March 2019

(Today’s article is by Insideofknoxville.com intern Alexa-Marie Melendez.)

With Saint Patrick’s Day (March 17) falling on Sunday, festivities spread out from Friday to Sunday, a guarantee there’s fun for everyone. Here are just some of the events to look forward to.

The annual Saint Patrick’s Day Parade kicks tomorrow (Saturday) at 1:00 pm. with Josh Mancuso, known as, “The College Mascot Guy,” as Grand Marshal. The parade, first launched in the 1950’s, reflects the importance of the Irish community in Knoxville’s history. For more information including the best spots to park and places to view the parade, visit Knox St. Patrick´s Parade online.

A very Irish tradition, the pub crawl, invites responsible adults to enjoy socializing and liquors at various bars. Despite the lower popularity of Sunday night outings, the Old City’s Saint Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl committed to March 17 with fourteen businesses participating in the crawl. Attendees purchase their $15 wristband from thirteen locations on the flyers posted around downtown (and listed at the link above). While Fin-Two Japanese Ale House closes on Sunday, owner Raymond Yip said to watch their social media for an announcement of a special drink and sushi roll.

Irish Fest, Vine Avenue, Knoxville, August 2022

Moving on from the Old City’s night scene, runners rejoice! The weekend offers not just a feast of food and drink, but an opportunity to run for a cause. On Sunday, Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria hosts  their eleventh annual St. Patrick’s Day 5K & Kids Dash ½ Mile. The run is in partnership with Emily’s Power for A Cure, a fight against Neuroblastoma. Activities kick off at 2:00 PM with the Kids’ Dash, followed thirty minutes later with the 5K. The event is also a great time for families and pets to come out and take part in the celebration in the parking lot next to Barley’s with the fun running until 4:30. Participants in the 5k get to enjoy a pizza and two beers and, in addition, Barley’s offers a special on Modelos and Corona during the race. (Sign up for the races here!)

Like myself, I am sure some of you fancy a more relaxed celebration to commemorate Saint Patrick. Look no further than over the river. This Saturday, Sevier Avenue is having its Old Seiver Day Crawl, a free event for the whole family can enjoy. The crawl includes pubs and breweries like Trailhead Beer and Hi-Wire Brewery, but it also includes eateries like Landing House and South Coast Pizza.

James Tourville, co-owner of Southside Garage, arranges the crawl and said, “It’s a way to get people to come down here, enjoy all the businesses, and have a good time. A more low-key Saint Paddy’s Day crawl.” The event also gives participants a chance to win prizes, by turning in a stamped “passport.” Participants can pick up their passports from Southside Garage and collect stamps from six of the ten businesses. You can only pick up passports from Southside Garage, but participants can turn in filled-out passports to any of the ten locations by midnight.

There are even more pub crawls (see the list below)!

On Sunday morning Knoxvillians can enjoy a delicious brunch at Redbud Kitchen’s pop-up at  Hi-Wire Brewing. The two businesses collaborate on themed menus for different holidays throughout the year, and Lesley Gass said diners can look forward to fun items like leprechaun cinnamon rolls and a cheesy egg bake, as well as their tavern’s Irish Creme 10W-40 beer variation. “It’s really nice and smooth for a stout, and it’s a little bit sweeter, and it’s just a great beer style,” Lesley exclaimed.

If you’re looking for something for the family, check out the 2024 Shamrock Fest presented by the East Tennessee Kidney Foundation. Come run (11:00 am) and enjoy Irish music, food, and lots of children’s activities, along with whiskey and beer for the adults who are so inclined. You’ll find it at the World’s Fair Park (performance, or south lawn) and the fun cranks along until 5:00 pm.

Four Leaf Peat, Irish Fest, Vine Avenue, Knoxville, August 2022

No evening plans? Stroll down to Gay Street, and attend Four Leaf Peat’s performance at the Bijou Theatre. Tennessee’s premier Traditional Irish Band keeps it fresh, keeps it moving, and keeps it fun, performing for two decades at local and regional locations and events, providing their listeners and live audiences with a traditional medley of jigs and reels, influenced by each member’s musical background. For their 20th annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration, the band will be joined by Jonathan Srour and Claire Shirey, two friends and world-class Irish step dancers.

“Traditional Irish music is dance music, most of our concerts we don’t have dancers so at this concert, it being on St. Patrick everybody’s more excited about the music and the time of the year. We always like to try and bring some dancers in . . . give people more of the full experience of traditional Irish music,” band member Rick Hall shared.

The band plans to share the community, the camaraderie, and the fun of Irish culture through their performance this Sunday. They hope to remove the stigma of Saint Patrick’s Day being a reason to just drink by helping their audience connect to and understand the enriched history and culture behind Irish music, as well as the celebration of Saint Patrick and his impact and commitment to Ireland.

Cutthroat Shamrock, St. Patrick’s Day Celebration on Market Square, Knoxville, March 2015

There are lots of other events as well, so check this more complete list (thanks to Scott McNutt for this part!) for even more related fun:

Saturday (March 16)

Sunday (March 17)

 

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