Events

[CELEBRATION] Buffalo was recently ranked #1 for St. Patrick’s day celebrations by the finance website WalletHub. We were listed among the best cities in the world to celebrate St. Patrick’s day by Travel + Leisure. That probably means something. Of course Buffalo has two annual parades, first on Saturday in the Old First Ward, where the “real” parade happens, and then on Sunday when the more mainstream parade happens on Delaware Avenue. If you’re looking for something to do before, after, or instead of the parades, here are our recommendations.

1. The Waiting Room on Delaware is a nice spot from which to watch the parade on Sunday so we recommended you stake out a spot there. In the parking lot, they’ll have a real party happening with music from the 1990s hip hop superstars House of Pain, epic 1990s cover band Soul Patch (more on them on in our Spotlight), as well as Slaine, and DJs Rick Jameson and Dovey. Get there early—party starts at noon.

2. Maybe you’d rather get to the roots of your Irish heritage—go beyond the drinking and the shamrock shakes. Burning Books on the West Side will screen the documentary The Patriot Game, which tackles the topic of the Irish anti-colonial struggle. “Why is this important to know? Because many of the immigrants and their descendants have participated and bought into America’s Racism, Imperialism, settler colonialism at home and abroad. If more people knew the real history of Ireland, or the real history of the world, they wouldn’t choose to be on the side of the oppressor,” reads the description from Burning Books. 

3. The underground party you might be looking for is happening at Preservation Pub on Saturday. Frostytone brings in Toronto techno lord DistinctMotive for some deep vibes at the Allentown venue. They’ll be joined by Basha, Waldman, and Young, as well as Rochester drum and bass selector Gentleman Cane. More music from Rola! Alldaydnb, and Buffalo Joe.

4. If you’re looking for somewhere to watch the parade, consider Babeville, where The Observers, Phuge, Middlemen, and Jungle Steve & The Gypsophelias will be providing some day time tunes. It’s a great spot, situated right on Delaware Avenue, and in the basement of a beautiful and massive church.

5. For some authentic Celtic music, Buffalo Iron Works is the place to be on Friday for St. Patrick’s Day. Vancouver-based Celtic roots band The Town Pants takes the stage, so prepare for some hardcore fiddlin’.

6. For the serious beer drinker only: the Saint Patrick’s Day South Buffalo Bar Crawl. The crawl starts at the Blackthorn Irish Tavern and ends at Mollys with (dear lord) 13 stops in between. Prepare your livers, and don’t drink and drive. 

7. The 5th annual Live at O’Larkin event is another go-to event for local celebrators. This year features Celtic rock from McCarthyizm, folk trio Emerald Isle, Clann Na Cara Irish Dance, and the Greater Buffalo Firefighters Pipes and Drums. And since it’s Larkinville, there’ll be food trucks. 15 of them. 

PLUS: 7 Tips for Being Drunk in Public on St. Patrick’s Day in Buffalo