Celebrate St. Patrick’s in Orange, CA

St. Patrick’s Day falls on March 17 every year. People celebrate this holiday to commemorate Irish Christians and often use the shamrock as a sign of the Trinity. Today, however, many people in the United States celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with revelry, parties, parades, and eating corned beef and cabbage. If you’re looking for special ways to celebrate this beloved and fun holiday, check out this list of places and activities to attend in the Orange, California, area that our team at Mazda of Orange put together for you.

Have Fun at Santa Ana’s Almost St. Paddy’s Day Pub Crawl

Put your best green outfit on, add some shamrocks to your attire, and head over to Santa Ana to enjoy a festive evening pre-St. Patrick’s Day at Santa Ana’s Almost St. Paddy’s Day Pub Crawl. When you take part in this themed event, you’ll get a wristband allowing you to enter venues with no cover charge, get drink specials, play games, and win prizes.

Once you buy your online e-ticket, you’ll then check in at the first location starting at 4 p.m. Check-in lasts until 5:30 p.m. Carry your route map to continue to the crawl locations for fun, drinks, and food. Crawl locations include Chapter One: the modern local, Mission Bar, Mission Control, and Twisted Tiki.

Location: Check-in is at 201 N. Broadway in Santa Ana.

Day and time: Saturday, March 11, 2023, from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Watch the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Hermosa Beach

Take the family to the lovely town of Hermosa Beach to cheer and wave to participants in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Hermosa Beach. You’ll want to get there early to line up along the parade route, which goes down Pier Avenue and Hermosa Avenue.

This eclectic parade features cool cars, fun floats, music, and more from local non-profits and businesses. For more information and to get a different perspective on the parade, you can watch the event from one of the three announcing stages. The St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Hermosa Beach is the perfect family-friendly event for this fun holiday.

Location: 1 Pier Ave. in Hermosa Beach.

Days and times: Saturday, March 11, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Take Part in the Long Beach St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl and Block Party

With over 10 venues participating in the Long Beach St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl and Block Party, you’re sure to have a wee bit of fun on St. Paddy’s Day. When you purchase your ticket for this festive event, you’ll get a crawl kit that includes drink coupons, free welcome shot vouchers, and a map to help you find your way to each venue.

You’ll get discounts for food and beverages at great venues, such as Long Beach Taco Co., Congregation Ale House, Big Catch, and Doghaus Biergarten. Most of the venues will have water and soft drinks available for designated drivers. Check-in starts at 3 p.m. and ends at 7 p.m.

You’ll need to wear green for St. Patrick’s Day, and there’s nothing classier than wearing beautiful jade jewelry, an emerald necklace, or a green velvet top that you can find at any of these local Orange County businesses.

Location: 130 Pine Ave. in Long Beach.

Days and times: Friday, March 17, 2023, at 3 p.m. until Saturday, March 18, 2023, at 2 a.m.

Enjoy Irish-Inspired Food and Music at The Harp Inn

Dine at Orange County’s premier Irish restaurant when you book a reservation at the Harp Inn. You’ll find a wide variety of Irish-inspired foods here, and eating at the Harp Inn is the perfect way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Start your St. Paddy’s Day dinner with appetizers, such as the Irish nachos with shredded corned beef served on breakfast potatoes with cheese, salsa, and sour cream.

Once you move on to your entree, you can enjoy such tasty dishes as fish & chips or shepherd’s pie filled with ground beef and vegetables and topped with mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese. Enjoy a corned beef and Swiss cheese sandwich served on grilled rye bread or the Harp salad with greens, bacon, and croutons. Check the website for St. Patrick’s Day specials and music or entertainment.

Location: 130 E. 17th St. in Costa Mesa.

Contact: 949-646-8855.

See Irish-Themed Musicals at the Secret Movie Club

Dress in your finest green attire and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by watching one or two of the musicals that the Secret Movie Club will show. “Once” is the first musical you can see. Producers of this musical filmed the performers on the streets of Dublin, Ireland. It includes original songs written by Hansard and Irglova. You’ll feel the pure joy of this musical as you follow the story of a couple of down-on-their-luck musicians who meet, fall in love, and end up writing music together.

After the showing of “Once,” the team at the Secret Movie Club will show Alan Parker’s’ “The Commitments” based on the novel by Roddy Doyle and later made into a motion picture. This musical tells the story of a group of Dublin musicians who love American soul music and come together to form a scrappy cover band that audiences fall in love with. The Irish actors and musicians in “The Commitments” sing and act their hearts out during this performance, adding extra charm to the musical.

Bring friends along to see these heart-warming Irish musicals and enjoy sipping on Guinness beer, Irish drinks, and special Irish food while celebrating St. Patrick’s’ Day in a distinctly Irish style.

Location: 1917 Bay St. in Los Angeles.

Day and times: Friday, March 17, 2023. “Once” starts at 7:30 p.m., and “The Commitments” starts at 9:20 p.m. and ends around 11:30 p.m.

With so many St. Patrick’s Day events and activities to attend, which one will you choose? Did we miss one of your favorite events? If we did, let our team at Mazda of Orange know, as we always enjoy learning about awesome things to do in our local community.

Shamrocks by Quinn Dombrowski is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0