Easy Ways You Can Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in NYC This Year

You don’t have to be Irish, have visited Ireland, or even like green to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in NYC this year. Besides, most people don’t need an excuse for a celebration during this never-ending pandemic.

St. Patrick’s Day commemorates the death of Saint Patrick, a former slave who converted to Christianity and drove the snakes out of Ireland, who died on March 17, 461. The tradition came to the United States in 1737 with the first celebration in Boston. Today we celebrate the day by wearing green, having parades and eating Irish foods.

Here’s how to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in NYC during the pandemic.

• Ideas to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day at Home
• 2021 St. Patrick's Day Family Activities in the NYC Area

11 Ideas for St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations at Home

Make corned beef and cabbage.

Corned beef and cabbage is a classic St. Patrick’s Day meal. Its combination of flavorful and tender meat and cabbage is filling and tasty. Whip up this traditional recipe for corned beef and cabbage. Serve with boiled potatoes, steamed carrots, mustard, or horseradish.
 

Or try one of these other St. Patrick’s Day recipes.

Shamrock Shakes

From Nancy A. Cavanaugh

Ingredients:

• 2 cups milk

• 2 cups lime sherbet

• 2 bananas (peeled)

Directions:

Pour all of the ingredients into a blender and mix together. You can add a drop or two of food coloring to make it greener.

St. Paddy’s Day Pie

From Nancy A. Cavanaugh

Ingredients:

• 2 boxes of pistachio pudding

• Milk as directed on the box

• Container of whipped cream

• Pre-made graham cracker pie shell

Directions:

1. Make the pudding following the directions on the box. (If you don’t like pistachio, you can make regular vanilla pudding and color it with a few drops of green food coloring.)
2. Add the container of whipped cream to the pudding.
3. Fill the pie shell with the pudding mixture and refrigerate until ready to eat. (You can use mini pie shells if you’re working with a group so everyone can have her own pie.)
    

Dress in green.

Embrace the luck of the Irish by throwing on a green top, pants, or even socks. Plaid works too. You can also add some traditional Irish symbols to your outfit like shamrocks, leprechauns, rainbows, pots of gold, and the Irish flag.
 

Watch a St. Patrick’s Day movie with your family.

Not many movies have been specifically made about St. Patrick’s Day. These family-friendly flicks have an Irish theme and you can watch them together.

Finian’s Rainbow
Recommended ages: 6 and older
Available on: Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, and Vudu
Leprechauns, pots of gold, and rainbows are all found in this Fred Astaire film from the 1960s. It’s the big-screen version of a Broadway musical.

The Luck of the Irish
Recommended ages: 9 and older
Available on: Amazon, Disney+, and Google Play
A popular teenage basketball player, Kyle, realizes one day that his lucky gold coin has been stolen. Strange things start to happen to Kyle. His ears become pointed. His hair turns orange. He becomes shorter. His mom has shrunk. He finally learns the reason—he is half leprechaun. That magic coin helps him be human.

Darby O’Gill and the Little People
Recommended ages: 8 and older
Available on: Amazon, Disney+, Google Play, iTunes, and Vudu
A storyteller, Darby O’Gill, is looking for a pot of gold. The only thing standing in his way is a leprechaun named Brian. To get the gold, Darby must try to outwit the little leprechaun and his shenanigans.

Read a St. Patrick’s Day book with your family.

These St. Patrick’s Day children’s books will help you celebrate all things green. Put on your best Irish accent and read away.

How to Catch a Leprechaun
Recommended ages: 4 and older
This fun and lively children’s book may inspire your family to build its own leprechaun traps. This book blends STEAM concepts with rhymes and illustrations.

Pete the Cat: The Great Leprechaun Chase
Recommended ages: 4 and older
It’s St. Patrick’s Day, and it’s also the grand opening of Pete the Cat’s leprechaun-catching business. Pete prepares to trap a leprechaun for his friends. Catching a leprechaun isn’t easy, though. Find out if luck is on Pete’s side or he has to earn it.

I’m a Leprechaun
Recommended ages: 2 and older
The book introduces the magical, mischievous leprechaun. This adorable book is filled with colorful illustrations and great for sharing with kids on St. Patrick’s Day.

Hold a St. Patrick’s Day-themed scavenger hunt.

Take your children all over the house in search of a pot of gold left by a leprechaun. Start by making a pot of gold for your kids. Create some clues, including a letter from the leprechaun explaining the hunt. Place clues around the house and leave your last clue with the pot of gold.

Create a St. Patrick’s Day craft.

These St. Patrick’s Day crafts will have you and your little leprechauns feeling a little green. They may even bring the luck of the Irish to your home.

Shamrock Scrape Painting

With scrape painting, you mix colors to create a pretty piece of art. (For a more traditional look, paint a paper shamrock in different green hues.)

Lucky Shamrocks St. Patrick's Day Wreath

This festive wreath will bring a little Irish to your front door. The gold beads complement the gold burlap. Add a rainbow pennant for even more color.

Paper Origami Shamrock

Make your own luck with some green origami paper. These shamrocks boast a modern and chic vibe when “potted” in fun geometric wood planters.

Shamrock Greeting Card

From Nancy A. Cavanaugh

What You Need:

• Newspaper
• Paintbrush
• White construction paper
• Green acrylic paint
• Candy hearts (three are needed for each shamrock)
• Markers
• Craft glue
• Green pipe cleaners
• Scissors

What to Do:

1. Cover your work area with newspaper. Paint one side of the candy hearts and the edges with the green paint. Allow to dry completely. (You can use any size candy hearts, though the larger ones may be easier for small hands to paint.)
2. Fold the construction paper into fourths to create the card. Unfold.
3. Write the text for the card with markers
4. Glue two or three sets of three green hearts together (unpainted side down) so the sides and points touch to form a shamrock shape on the white construction paper. Allow to dry completely.
5. With the pipe cleaner, create a stem and leaves for your shamrock, then glue onto the card. Allow to dry completely.

Handy Leprechauns

From Nancy A. Cavanaugh

What You Need:

• White construction paper
• Black marker
• Crayons or colored pencils
• Pencil
• Scissors

What to Do:

1. Make a fist with your pinky and thumb sticking out (this forms the elf ears), then lightly trace around your hand with a pencil to create the head. Trace over the line with a black marker.
2. Draw a face on the palm area with the marker, then a hat onto the top of the head. Color using crayons or colored pencils. (You can also draw and color a body if there’s room on the paper.)
3. Cut it out and hang on the wall.

Test your St. Patrick’s Day trivia.

See how much you really know about St. Patrick’s Day. Here are a few sites you can check out to test your knowledge.

• St. Patrick's Day Trivia on Irishcentral.com
• 70+ St. Patrick’s Day Trivia Questions and Answers on Meebily
• 80 St Patrick's Day Trivia Questions and Answers on Triviaquestionquiz.com

Try a fun St. Patrick’s Day app.

Your child loves his iPad and phone. So, use those devices to teach him about St. Patrick’s Day. Take advantage of these fun apps revolving around the holiday.

Memory Game

Test your memory with a Concentration-like shamrock game. Have fun and get into a festive mood for St. Patrick’s Day by matching Irish symbols.

Bubble Blast St. Patrick’s Day

This puzzle game is fun and addictive. Burst a shamrock, a pot of gold, an Irish hat, or a balloon to trigger a chain reaction to eliminate them.

St. Patrick’s Day Adventure

The hero needs your help skipping the hard obstacles and collecting more coins. Gamers will have to jump and run over whatever is in their way in this easy-to-play game.

Take a virtual visit to Ireland.

Go for an online field trip to this pretty and historical European island. These sites will help you take an adventure abroad to the Emerald Isle.

Blarney Stone and Castle

Blarney Castle was built nearly 600 years ago by one of Ireland’s greatest chieftains, Cormac MacCarthy. Many think that if you go to Blarney Castle, you’ll only see the Blarney Stone. But you’ll leave this visit knowing that the Blarney Stone is only a part of the attraction.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral Dublin

Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin is the national cathedral of the Church of Ireland. The Cathedral is one of the most historic churches in Ireland.

Cliffs of Moher

These sea cliffs tower over the rugged coast. They sit on Europe’s most westerly tip and offer views of the Atlantic Ocean and Aran Islands.

Color St. Patrick’s Day pictures.

Kids can take their crayons, markers, paints, and colored pencils to add some color to these St. Patrick’s Day coloring pages. Here are a few links to get you started.

• St. Patrick’s Day Free Coloring Pages from Crayola
• 25 Free Printable St. Patrick’s Day Coloring Pages
• Mickey Mouse St. Patrick’s Day Hidden Picture Coloring Page from Disney Family

2021 St. Patrick's Day Family Activities in the NYC Area

• Kid-Friendly St. Patrick's Day Events in Manhattan
• Kid-Friendly St. Patrick's Day Events in Queens
• Kid-Friendly St. Patrick's Day Events on Long Island
• Kid-Friendly St. Patrick's Day Events in Westchester
• Kid-Friendly St. Patrick's Day Events in Rockland

Kid-Friendly St. Patrick’s Day Events in Manhattan

ONLINE Virtual St. Patrick's Day Cookie Decorating
WHEN: Saturday, March 13, 12-2pm; Wednesday, March 17, 3-5pm
WHERE: NY Cake Academy, Online
AGES: 12 and older
WHAT: Bring your cookie decorating good luck with a crash course at NY Cake! St. Patrick's Day may be right around the corner, but there's still time to learn something new in the kitchen. In this class, students learn the techniques to decorate St. Patrick's Day-themed cookies with royal icing such as lucky leprechauns, four-leaf clovers and pots of gold! Practice wet on wet designs with royal icing, drag methods, and more as you're guided by an expert instructor in the comfort of your home! By the end of class you'll have mastered the perfect consistency and decorated Instagram-worthy cookies sure to impress the luckiest leprechaun.
WANT TO GO? $29. Optional kit is $50. Advanced registration required.

ONLINE Special St. Patrick's Day edition of the Moore Family Tour
WHEN: March 13-17, Saturday, 7pm; Sunday, 4pm; Monday-Tuesday, 1pm; Wednesday, 7pm
WHERE: Tenement Museum, Online
AGES: All
WHAT: Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the Moore family! Explore how the New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade, already popular by the 1860s, gave Irish immigrants like the Moores the opportunity to both show pride in their home country and express their new rights in America.
WANT TO GO? $10 per device; free for members. Advanced registration required.

FREE. IN PERSON Radio Rewind: Irish Pop
WHEN: Wednesday, March 17, 5:10-8:30pm
WHERE: Bryant Park, 40th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues, Midtown
AGES: All
WHAT: Bryant Park is turning back the clock to skate into the new year to your favorite retro jams. Hit the ice, journey back to a different decade, and afterwards enjoy 20% off your purchase at the Lodge Deck too when you show your ice skating reservation. Sing, skate, or listen along, just be sure to wear a mask and maintain social distance during this special skate session.
WANT TO GO? Reserve any skate time between 5:10pm and 8:30pm to join the fun on the ice, or hang out on the rink deck.

IN PERSON St. Patrick's Day
WHEN: March 17-20, Wednesday-Saturday, 10am-5pm
WHERE: Children's Museum of Manhattan, 212 W. 83rd St., Upper West Side
AGES: All
WHAT: Go super green this St. Patrick's day by creating your own shamrock wreath using recycled collage materials.
WANT TO GO? $15; $12 seniors 65 and older and visitor with disabilities. Purchase tickets in advance.