Some of the Best St. Patrick’s Day Party Planning Tips Are Here!
Oh, St Patrick’s Day. The one day of the year that we can get absolutely silly over a patron Saint – whether you are actually Irish or not. When it comes to planning a great St Patrick’s Day party, look no further than Board and Life!
As a result of his college years, Bruce has planned and participated in a few festive St Patrick’s Day parties over the years. He even used to dress up as a leprechaun – complete with pointy shoes! From food to games, decorations, and themed-drinks, Bruce has seen it all.
So, if you are wondering what to serve on St. Patrick’s Day, are in need of drink recipes or are just looking for fun activities and entertainment for your guests, we’ve got you covered below!
St Patrick’s Day Party Theme Ideas
Let’s start off with the basics. Any good party is going to need to stick to a theme or style – but the choice is yours! One idea is to make it more fun and silly.
You might choose a good old fashioned fun party where everyone has to wear something green. You could even make the guests go all out and have a costume competition. You could even make it so that everyone has to dress up like a leprechaun.
Another idea is to have a more classy and elegant St. Patrick’s Day party. Your guests can still look their best but maybe they also have to wear something green, such as a tie or other accessory!
The choice is yours to theme the event – but you can always have some shamrock head pieces and green party beads on hand for those that ALWAYS forget!
St. Patrick’s Day Party Decorations
Any good themed party is going to need good decorations. Festive decor sets the tone of the party/gathering.
Once you have a theme chosen (most just choose: FUN), you can start to pick out your decorations. It comes as no surprise that you will likely incorporate some green into your decor. Here are some great items to get you started!
Hanging Welcome Sign
It may be a small piece of decor, but it’s an important one – a door hanging welcome sign can really set the tone for people walking up to your house, room, or place you are holding the party. Small details can make a big difference!
Green LED Rope Lighting
We love this green LED light string. They can be used both indoor and outdoor and are great for adding light and color to any decor space. We’re just fans of fairy lights in general and
If the lights aren’t your thing, you might instead go for some felt shamrocks decorations that hang from the ceiling and span the room. Great for a dining room where the food is served, for example.
Leprechaun Floor Stickers
These hilarious and awesome floor decor stickers are definitely a “fun” touch to your themed party. The stickers have plenty of uses – like helping to guide your guests on where to go.
The creative little leprechaun shoe prints always seem to add a bit of fun to any room – and they make for a fun conversation starter!
St Patrick’s Day Table Decor
Wherever you serve the food, you will need to make the space festive as well. The serving table is a key focal point – so show it some love!
No serving table is complete without a classic Irish tablecloth in the Irish flag colors! You might also want a classic pot of gold centerpiece for the table. Some might think it’s cliche – but we think it’s awesome! Rather go over the top than to under decorate.
St Patrick’s Day Photo Booth Decorations
The “photobooth” idea has really taken off these days – and the same can be done for St. Patrick’s Day. If you are looking for a classic kit of props like big glasses, signs, and hats – this might be the Irish prop kit for you.
You can also buy a classic Polaroid/instant camera for photos people can see right away and take with them!
St. Patrick’s Day Party Food
Now, on to the food you serve. There are loads of great themed recipes for all different tastes and party styles! Below are a few different recipes for hearty items, sweet treats, and more.
If you want to go all out, you can get a party pack of festive paper plates and napkins for your guests to enjoy their food on. We usually try to avoid using one-time plates, but if you have to use them, try to go for paper instead of plastic.
Green Pancakes + Bacon
If you are hosting more of a morning St. Patrick’s Day gathering, you will need to start the day off right and get your guests full for the day ahead. We always like sweet green pancakes and salty bacon for that!
Nothing goes together better than some thick pancakes with a bit of salty bacon to get a bit of sodium into the system early. You might need it if you plan on celebrating the whole day! Here’s a great green pancake recipe– don’t forget the maple syrup!
Irish Flag Veggie and Dip Platter
Nothing says St. Patrick’s Day like having the Irish colors everywhere to be seen. This definitely includes the food you prepare for guests!
A great appetizer is a veggie tray. They are easy to prepare, easy to clean up, and with a good dip they can go fast! If you want to make your own Irish flag veggie tray with an awesome dill dip, check out this recipe.
Slow Cooker Irish Beef Stew
For one of your main courses, you might consider a classic Irish beef stew. This hearty recipe will warm up your guests and give them the fuel they need to keep having a few more beverages (should they choose)!
If you are in need of a great idea, check here for a great Irish stew recipe. It even calls for adding Guinness to the mix – how fitting!
Carrot + Cream Cheese Cupcakes
If you need a sweet dessert item to end your festive meal, cupcakes are a great choice. They are WAYYYYY easier than having to cut a cake, and you can decorate them to match the occasion!
A great taste for the day is carrot cake, and it just so happens that if you decorate the right – you can have orange. white, and green on top! It’s another opportunity to put the Irish flag on something.
Here is a good recipe for making great carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese icing!
St. Patrick’s Day Party Drink Ideas
While the day is not JUST about having drinks – many parties make it a point of indulging in a few Irish beverages!
If you are having a keg of beer, you might want to order these plastic green festive cups for all your guests to drink from. Just remember to recycle them after or reuse them for next year after a wash! Below are a few other drink ideas that you can whip together for yourself or your guests.
Irish Coffee
Making an Irish coffee is a great way to wake up and get a bit of “spirit” into you. And yes, an Irish coffee is more than just a black coffee and a bunch of Baileys Irish Cream!
To make a true Irish coffee, you will need a few more ingredients – like an Irish whiskey. For this, Jameson (Bruce’s favorite whiskey) or Bushmills might do the trick.
To create the perfect Irish coffee, you can follow this Irish coffee recipe
on the Jameson website (how fitting).
Green Beer
While serving up a few Guinness is definitely Irish enough – some people might want to take the festive spirit to another level! This usually includes green beer.
Luckily, serving green beer isn’t that difficult. The easiest way to create green beer is really just to add green food coloring into the beverage. To stay on trend for the day, maybe choose an Irish beer, like Harp.
Mojitos
Mojitos are a great way to get a green drink that actually tastes great. The mint kind of looks like clovers floating around in the glass – and it’s a refreshing way to keep a sweet buzz going. Here’s a simple mojito recipe to get you started!
If you want fancier cocktails of the occasion, check out these other classic cocktails that are easy to make.
St. Patrick’s Day Party Games
Finally, it’s on to the games to keep people busy and having a blast. You could also get some classic Irish music playing throughout the party to help set the tone, too!
Below are a few game ideas that you can try out for your guests, They are usually low prep work and are pretty fun for people to play! Remember to also have fun prizes on hand – it’s always a good way to stoke up a little friendly competition.
Pin the Hat on the Leprechaun
It’s like “pin the tail on the donkey” but Irish style! This one is simple – you get a leprechaun cut-out/decor item and stick it to the wall. Then you remove/cut off his hat and/or make a new one with cardboard.
Get some sticky adhesive (even a thumb tack on a cork board works), blindfold your guests, and who ever puts the hat closest to his head wins!
Pot o’ Gold Toss
Like “cornhole“, you can get a “pot of gold” plastic bucket and get something like a beanbag or beer caps. You could even get those individually wrapped golden-wrapped chocolate coins and toss them into the pot from a distance.
There are different variations – this could be a speed game for whoever gets the most into it in a minute. This could also be a team against team game. You can develop it however you like based on your available space in the house or backyard!
Life Size Jenga/Wood Tower
Indoor or outdoor, playing life-size Jenga is great for kids, adults, and everyone in between. Set up is simple, it’s a group game, and it always gets harder after a few beverages – which is half the fun! Check out a life-size block tower set to build a fun block tower at your next party.
You could even paint the blocks green or write rules on the blocks for when people pull them out – then they have to do the rule!
And there you have it – a whole bunch of great ideas for hosting your next St Patrick’s Day party. There are loads of different drinks, foods, games, and ideas that you can do so just know your crowd, prepare well, and have fun with it! Let us know how you make out this year!
As always, Stay Curious,
– B&L
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