Quick answer: St Patrick’s Day 2027 falls on Wednesday 17 March. St Patrick’s Festival runs from Saturday 13 to Wednesday 17 March, and the parade sets off from Parnell Square at 12 noon on the 17th. It’s free to watch. Book your room early, find your spot by 11am, and plan on walking.
Half a million people line the streets of Dublin for the parade, and the whole city centre turns green for five days. It’s brilliant fun, but it pays to know how the day works. Here’s what you need: the route, where to stand, getting around, where to stay and eat, and what to book.
St Patrick’s Festival 2027 at a glance
- Festival dates: Saturday 13 to Wednesday 17 March 2027
- St Patrick’s Day: Wednesday 17 March 2027 (public holiday)
- Parade: 12 noon on 17 March, about two hours to pass
- Route: Parnell Square to the Cuffe Street and Kevin Street junction, 3.2km
- Cost: free to watch; grandstand seats from €143.50
- Full programme: due January 2027 on stpatricksfestival.ie
Because the 17th is a Wednesday in 2027, most of the festival happens over the weekend before. If you only have a few days, three nights from Monday 15 to Thursday 18 March gets you a festival evening, the parade and a quieter day after.
The parade route
The National St Patrick’s Day Parade starts at Parnell Square (Granby Row) on the north side of the city. It heads down O’Connell Street, crosses O’Connell Bridge and continues along Westmoreland Street, past College Green and up Dame Street. It then passes Christ Church Cathedral, turns down past St Patrick’s Cathedral and finishes at the Cuffe Street and Kevin Street junction.
Expect more than 3,000 performers: giant floats from Irish pageant companies, street theatre and marching bands from Ireland and abroad, often including big American bands. Check the official parade map before you pick a spot, as barriers and access points can change.
Where to watch
- Parnell Square and upper O’Connell Street: the start, where performers are full of energy. Locals rate it.
- O’Connell Street: the widest and busiest stretch, outside the GPO. It fills up first, so be there by 10am for the barriers.
- Westmoreland Street and Dame Street: handy for Temple Bar and Trinity, and busy.
- Christ Church and St Patrick’s Cathedral: the later part of the route. Usually easier to get into, and easier to leave afterwards.
Whatever you choose, get there early, agree a meeting point in case your group gets split, and stay put until the parade has passed.
Grandstand tickets
If you’d rather sit, the festival sells covered, tiered grandstand seats at six spots along the route, with a host commentating as the parade passes. Prices for 2027, booking fees included:
- Parnell Square: €143.50
- Emerald Circle, O’Connell Street (outside the GPO): €253.50
- O’Connell Bridge: €173.50
- Westmoreland Street: €153.50
- Christchurch: €153.50
- St Patrick’s Cathedral: €143.50
There’s also a Westmoreland Street hospitality package for €293.50: a grandstand seat, then a buffet lunch with live trad in the Banking Hall of The College Green Hotel. Seats went on sale on 28 September 2026 and most stands sell out before the day. Book on stpatricksfestival.ie.
Accessible viewing
There are wheelchair-accessible viewing areas on O’Connell Street, Westmoreland Street and at St Patrick’s Cathedral, plus a Relaxed Parade Space for neurodivergent visitors and anyone who finds crowds and noise hard. Places are by application, opening in mid-January 2027. An Accessoloo with a hoist and changing bench is parked on D’Olier Street at the Fleet Street junction.
What else is on
The parade is the big one, but the festival has more than 200 events across the city. Most are free. The full line-up lands in January 2027; this is what the festival has confirmed so far:
- Treasure Hunt on Saturday 13 March
- Festival Funfair on Custom House Quay, 13 to 17 March
- Street performances and workshops around the city, 13 to 16 March
- After Dark evening programme, 13 to 16 March
- Céilí Mór on Merrion Square West on 17 March, a huge open-air Irish dance anyone can join
Some free events need you to sign up in advance, and a few have a small ticket charge, so check each one. We’ll add 2027 events to our Dublin events listings as they’re announced. For a quieter festival day with children, our Dublin with kids guide has plenty of ideas.
Pubs and trad music
Yes, the pubs are open. But under Irish licensing rules they can’t serve alcohol until 12.30pm on St Patrick’s Day, the same as a Sunday. In 2026, gardaí also stopped city-centre off-licences and supermarkets selling alcohol until 4pm. Expect queues at the famous bars in Temple Bar and around Grafton Street.
Our tip: head a few streets away from the route. Our top 10 traditional pubs, best trad music pubs and best pint of Guinness guides will keep you right. Bill Aherne’s, the new Victorian pub by O’Connell Bridge, has live trad every night but takes walk-ins only, so get in early (read our Bill Aherne’s guide). For something different, try a self-guided craft beer crawl.
Where to eat
Restaurants near the route are packed on the 17th, and many take bookings only. Book dinner for the 16th and 17th as soon as your trip is set, and keep lunch simple on parade day. Our two picks for traditional Irish food come first, then a few pointers:
- Before the parade: have a big breakfast. Our best coffee shops guide covers the good ones near the centre.
- The Old Storehouse, 3 Crown Alley, Temple Bar. One of the best spots in town for traditional Irish food: Irish stew, seafood chowder, bangers and mash and cottage pie, with free live trad every day from mid-afternoon. Walk-ins are welcome; groups of six or more can request a table (theoldstorehouse.ie).
- The Celt, 81 Talbot Street, a few minutes’ walk from O’Connell Street. A proper old Dublin pub doing beef and Guinness stew and other Irish classics, with live trad seven nights a week. It takes reservations, which is worth doing for the 17th (thecelt.ie).
- Parade day lunch: eat before noon or after 2.30pm, when the crowds thin. Capel Street, now pedestrianised and lined with places to eat, is a short walk from O’Connell Street.
- Quieter areas: Stoneybatter, Smithfield and Camden Street are all within walking distance and calmer than Temple Bar.
- Food tours: a guided food tour on the 15th or 16th is a good way to find places to come back to. See our Dublin food tours.
Where to stay
Hotels fill early for St Patrick’s week, and prices rise the closer you get. Book as soon as your dates are fixed, and pick somewhere you can walk from, as transport is limited on the day. Some options near the route:
- Molloy’s Apartments, on Talbot Street, five minutes’ walk from O’Connell Street and the parade., with apartments that suit families and groups
- Riu Plaza The Gresham Hotel, right on O’Connell Street
- Academy Plaza Hotel, just off O’Connell Street
- Wynn’s Hotel, on Lower Abbey Street, a minute from O’Connell Street
- The College Green Hotel, on Westmoreland Street, home of the hospitality package
- The Mercantile Hotel, on Dame Street
- Leonardo Hotel Dublin Christchurch, beside the Christchurch grandstand
- The Abbey Court Hostel, on the quays, for a budget bed
- Ashling Hotel Dublin, by Heuston Station, a little further out but handy for trains
See more on our Dublin places to stay page, sorted by area and type.
Getting around on the day
Roads in the city centre close from early morning to late afternoon on the 17th, and the 2027 closures are published closer to the day. In 2026 this is how it worked:
- Buses, DART and commuter trains ran Sunday timetables, with extra trains before and after the parade.
- Luas Red Line: no trams between Smithfield and Connolly/The Point from about 10am to 3pm.
- Luas Green Line: no trams between St Stephen’s Green and Dominick from about 7am to 6pm.
- Tara Street station was closed until 4pm. Connolly and Pearse stayed open.
Walk if you can. Check our live train and Luas times on the day, and read our getting around Dublin guide. Flying in? Here’s how to get from Dublin Airport to the city centre. Don’t drive into town on the 17th; if you must, see our city centre parking guide.
Tours worth booking
Book tours for the 13th to 16th, or the 18th. On the 17th itself, road closures can change pick-up points and times, so check with the operator. Prices are from, per person, as listed on Dublin 360.
- A History of Ireland Tour in 2.5 Hours, from €39. The story behind the day, on foot.
- Dublin Night Tour: Jameson, Historic Pubs and Irish Music, from €79.
- Generation Pub Crawl, from €14, for a big night out.
- Wild Wicklow Mountains Day Trip to Glendalough, from €55. A day out of the crowds.
- Half-Day Guided Coastal Tour to Howth Village, from €40.
Want to see where it all started? Visit St Patrick’s Cathedral, which stands where Patrick is believed to have baptised people, or the Guinness Storehouse for the obvious pint. Browse everything on our tours and activities page, or plan the rest of your trip with our 3 days in Dublin itinerary.
Practical tips
- Dress for anything. The festival says it has celebrated in both snow blizzards and tropical sunshine. Bring a rain jacket and comfortable shoes.
- Bring water and snacks. The parade takes about two hours to pass, and nearby shops and cafés will be busy.
- Ear defenders help small children and anyone sensitive to noise. It’s loud.
- Mind your things. Gardaí advise keeping bags close and children closer; give kids a contact number in case you get separated.
- Know the day. It’s a public holiday, so some shops and attractions open shorter hours or close. Check before you go.
Dates, prices and the route are from St Patrick’s Festival, checked in November 2026. Transport details are from 2026 and will be updated when the 2027 plans are published.
St Patrick’s Day Dublin 2027 FAQs
When is St Patrick’s Day 2027 in Dublin?
St Patrick’s Day 2027 is Wednesday 17 March, a public holiday in Ireland. St Patrick’s Festival runs for five days, from Saturday 13 to Wednesday 17 March 2027, with the full programme due in January 2027.
What time does the Dublin St Patrick’s Day parade start?
The parade starts at 12 noon on Wednesday 17 March 2027 and takes about two hours to pass any one spot. Arrive by 10am or 11am if you want to be at the barriers.
What is the St Patrick’s Day parade route in Dublin?
The 3.2km route starts at Parnell Square (Granby Row), runs down O’Connell Street, over O’Connell Bridge, along Westmoreland Street and Dame Street, past Christ Church and St Patrick’s Cathedral, and finishes at the Cuffe Street and Kevin Street junction.
Do you need tickets for the St Patrick’s Day parade?
No. Watching the parade from the street is free. Covered grandstand seats are optional and cost €143.50 to €253.50 including booking fees, from stpatricksfestival.ie.
Where is the best place to watch the parade?
Parnell Square and the top of O’Connell Street catch the performers at their freshest. O’Connell Street is the busiest stretch. The south side, around Christ Church and St Patrick’s Cathedral, is usually easier to get into and out of.
Are pubs open on St Patrick’s Day in Dublin?
Yes, but later than usual. Under Irish licensing rules, alcohol can’t be sold until 12.30pm on St Patrick’s Day. In 2026, gardaí also stopped city-centre off-licences selling alcohol until 4pm.
How do I get around Dublin on St Patrick’s Day?
Walk where you can. In 2026, buses, DART and Luas ran Sunday timetables, Luas lines were cut back through the city centre during the parade, and Tara Street station was closed until 4pm. The 2027 plan is published closer to the day.
Photos: William Murphy and Robert Lamb via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
