By Charles Brandt

When you start making your St. Paddy’s Day plans this year, don’t forget to keep St. Paul at the top of your list. This city really knows how to embrace the celebration and starts a week early!

March 11: LuckyPalooza
The festivities kick off on March 11 at LuckyPalooza, a block party on West 7th. There will be beer, party tents, traditional irish folk music, DJs and mechanical bull rides. That’s right, a mechanical bull. The block party runs from 2 to 11 p.m., and then keeps on going at Patrick McGovern’s, The Liffey, New Bohemia, Tom Reid’s and other West 7th Street bars and restaurants.

March 11-19: Drink Specials, Music and Fun in St. Paul
Downtown St. Paul bars like the Amsterdam has drink specials and live music throughout the week, as will our friends up on University Ave: O’Gara’s, The Dubliner and the Turf Club.

March 17: O’Gara’s St. Paddy’s Celebration
3:30 p.m.: 26th Annual World’s Shortest Parade led by the Brian Boru Pipe Band
4-7 p.m.: The Whiskies in The Tent
4-8 p.m.: Love Songs for Angry Men (Acoustic) in The Shamrock Room
5 p.m.-2 a.m.: DJ in The Shanty
8-Midnight: The Todd Douglas Band in The Tent
9 p.m.:-1 a.m.: The Sam Kuusisto Band in The Shamrock Room
*ALL Music FREE, NO COVER

March 17: 51st Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade
St. Paul really gets into St. Paddy’s Day, and no celebration would be complete without streets filled with parade goers covered in green. The parade starts at noon on Friday, March 17th.

March 17: 35th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Irish Celebration
The city is already excited for one of the most celebrated events, the 35th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Irish Celebration, put on by the Irish Music & Dance Association (IMDA) at the Landmark Center. It runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and features traditional irish music, dancing, cuisine and live bagpipes. There are also plenty of Celtic vendors and fun free attractions for kids at the celebration.

Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for kids 6-12, and seniors 65 and over and may be purchased at the door on either day. Kids 5 and under are free. Group discounts can be arranged by calling 651-341-3618 or email at Info@IrishMusicandDanceAssociation.org.

Check out the full schedule of performances here.

March 19: An Irish Day of Dance
Miss some of the performances at the 35th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Irish celebration earlier in the weekend? Return to the Landmark Center Sunday, March 19 for A Day of Irish Dance, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

March 25: Irish Day Race at O’Gara’s
Ready to run off some of those calories you earned drinking beer and eating corned beef over St. Paddy’s? Sign up for the Irish Run here. There are prizes for both the 5k and 8k runs, and the kids can get involved too with a youth run. The party continues after the race at O’Gara’s.

It’s easy to see that St. Paul isn’t afraid of having a great time. Come downtown and join the party. Get into the spirit and wear lots of green; you can be sure everyone else will!