Though we tend to be a little more “Go for Launch!” than “Erin Go Bragh!”; the Rocket City sure knows how to kick-off a proper St. Patrick’s Day celebration and that’s with a parade.
Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Huntsville 2019
The annual Huntsville St. Patrick’s Day Parade will take place March 16 at 11:30 am; it’s a free community event, sponsored by Straight to Ale.
Enjoy the parade as a spectator or register to join in the fun (here’s the route).
The organizers may have the “luck of the Irish” on their side but they’d probably appreciate your help anyway. So, they’re accepting volunteers on parade day too! To learn more about how you can be involved, contact: Irish Society of North Alabama.
You know how we just said you can be a spectator?
Turns out, there are lots of cool places within “shouting distance” of all the action!
- The Martin Bar & Bistro, just a block off the route will have a birds-eye view of downtown goings-on at their Patrick’s Day celebration! Doors open at 9 am and they’ll be serving $ Green Beer, $4 Jameson Irish Whiskey, $5 Irish Car Bombs, and $5 Corn Beef and Cabbage.
- Humphrey’s Bar & Grill would argue they’re the place to celebrate St. Patrick’s Parade day in downtown! They will also open early at 8 am, serving brunch and featuring $3 Mimosas as well as a $4 Bloody Mary. Then…there’s the music!
Here’s the line-up:
9 am – noon, Winslow Davis
Noon – 3 pm., Tim Cannon
3 – 6 pm., 45 Surprise Duo
6 – 9 pm., Rob Aldridge and Rob Malone
9:30 pm – 1 am., Groove
It’s a party marathon not a sprint!
But wait, they’ve got that too in the form of, MOJO Radio Show .5K.
Just because the parade is over, doesn’t mean the fun is!
- Make your way to Campus No. 805 where there’ll be a free, family & pet-friendly event at S.R. Butler Green (between the breweries). They’ll have live Irish music by Musgrove Session and the Maple Hill Band as well as Irish dancers, lawn games and much more! Also, odds are there will be beer readily available.
- Not done yet, keep the party going with live music from the Pine Hill Haints, performing a mix of everything from rockabilly to Celtic Music, starting in the Straight to Ale Speakeasy at 8 pm including special cocktails made with Shelta Cavern Spirits, Irish menu items from Ale’s Kitchen, and, of course, your favorite Straight to Ale Brews.
- Need yet another option? Head just a short way east to Salty Nut Brewery where they’ll have drink specials all evening, live music from The Pragmatics and Beast Mode Food Truck ready to serve dinner.
- More? Mad Malts Brewing will also have live music on March 16th with JED Eye playing 7 – 10 pm!
You say these options are starting too late for you?
Believe it or not, a couple of places have got you covered!
- Keegan’s Public House will be open at 6 am (you read that right) on Saturday, March 16 with Kegs and Eggs until noon. They’ll be serving Irish Breakfast for $5 which will include scrambled eggs, corned beef hash, potatoes O’Brien, and Irish soda bread. At noon, they’ll change over to a limited Irish menu with all the usual favorites. Expect to also find drink specials like Irish Car Bombs, green beer for $1, Harp and Guinness for $5. Shea Fox and The Rocket will be there giving away prizes including Kiss concert tickets, gift cards and lots more. If that wasn’t enough, they’ll be selling green cotton candy and popcorn as the parade makes it way down West Side Square!
For a little extra fun: Keegan’s will be hiding tiny little leprechauns all around downtown Huntsville beginning two weeks prior to the main event; return your tiny new friend to Keegan’s and win yourself a prize. Lucky!
- As Jefferson St. Pub has put it, “You can’t drink all day if you don’t start in the morning!” They’ll be hosting their 6th annual “Kegs N Eggs” on Saturday, March 16. They too will open at 6 am. with $5 All-You-Can-Eat breakfast, $1 green beer, $3 Killians, $4 Jameson, $5 Irish Car Bombs and their front door is right by the parade route! At Jefferson St. Pub you can add a little live music to your breakfast with Brandon Henson starting 8:30 am. They’re in it for the long-haul, partying all the way until 2 am.
Looking for other family-friendly/charitable ways to celebrate?
- Jennifer’s Music Studio will host an Irish Music Session at Rooster’s Crow Coffee Roastery on Friday, March 15 from 7: – 9 pm. Bring the family and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with traditional Irish tunes, coffee and yummy food!
- The Delta Kappa Gamma International Society- Kappa Chapter will be hosting the Lucky Charms Craft and Small Business Vendor Event, 9 am – 4 pm on Saturday, March 16 at Holy Spirit School. Profits from this event will go toward Delta Kappa Gamma – Kappa Chapter Outreach Programs.
- InnerSpace Brewing will be donating $1 for every green beer sold to the Huntsville Hospital Foundation! You can also help them out by bringing in diapers; sizes newborn to 4t is what they’re looking for, along with wipes. They will also have a tip/donation box set up for anyone preferring to make a monetary donation.
- A Huntsville St. Patrick’s Day tradition, the 21st annual An Irish Evening fundraising event to benefit United Cerebral Palsy of Huntsville will take place on Friday, March 15, at the Historic Depot Roundhouse. This fun-filled event boasts a sampling of Irish fare from local folk like Keegan’s Public House, Regale Cupcakery, Chupper Time Catering and others, live music from Black Market Haggis, exciting games from Irish Society of North Alabama and an enormous silent auction! Plus, there are Irish step dancers, Irish Wolfhounds and a Your Perfect Party! photo booth where you can take embarrassing photos of your children to be enjoyed for years to come. Case in point-
If you’re a purest and choose to only celebrate on Sunday, March 17:
- Keegan’s Public House will close out their busy weekend with Black Market Haggis performing 12 – 3 pm.
- Copper Top Dive N Dine will be hosting Patrick’s Day Sonic Mastery! with The Dead Selves, The Big Gaping Holes and Mighty Menace. There’s a $5 cover charge for this event.
Finally, if you’re going to be doing all this celebrating, you will certainly need the appropriate gear. Go see my friends at Green Pea Press and they will set you right with this fun little number.
Oof! That’s a lot of green beer, people!
Go forth, have fun, be safe and like the t-shirt says, “Erin Go Bragh, Y’all!”
Sixth-generation native Huntsvillian and lover of all things Rocket City, living in constant fear of personal geekery deficits and overall lack of geographical nerd-appropriateness, but valiantly fighting to stay abreast of the latest and perceived coolest assets in North Alabama in order to be allowed to stay at the smart people party. I sometimes travel to cool places, see fancy things and write words about them at Tour Dates Travel.
