Parties
You don’t need the luck of the Irish to plan a successful St. Patrick’s Day party! All it takes is a little planning, some good food, good drinks, and good friends. Oh – and a little help from me!
The first thing you need to know is that St. Patrick’s Day falls on March 17th, every year. Obviously, that date won’t always fell on a weekend, so plan your party for the weekend before or after the day itself. That not only gives you the extra hours of prep time if you are a full time working person, but it also means that most of your guests can come, enjoy themselves, and stay late without worrying about having to go to work in the morning.
You might be more inclined to host your event the weekend BEFORE St. Patrick’s Day – and that’s fine. If you have a big party crowd, though, keep in mind that quite a few of your local establishments will celebrate the weekend before the holiday. That means more competition for you in terms of your guests having to choose where to go and what to do. You could plan to make your party the event of the decade, which no one would want to miss; or you could plan to celebrate the weekend AFTER St. Patrick’s Day, when the competition will have subsided a little.
The main theme of the party – OBVIOUSLY – is St. Patrick’s Day. But don’t feel like you are limited, and can’t add an extra twist. Suggest a rainbow theme to your guests, asking them to dress in their most colorful, rainbow clothes. Your house, of course, is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! Host a costume or fancy dress party, where you ask your guests to come dressed as their favorite Irish character from history or movies or television. You might find your guests include such notable Irish figures as Grace O’Malley or Brian Boru; or maybe they’ll turn up as John Wayne as he appeared in The Quiet Man or Darby O’Gill. For some added fun, have everyone participate in a contest to see how many of the characters they can name, with the one who guesses the most winning a bit of a prize. For an adults only party, host an Irish beer or whiskey tasting. Have on hand any number of Irish beers or ales, or a selection of Irish whiskeys, and set up small glasses for tasting. This is a great party to have for the beer connoisseur crowd. Plan in advance for this one in case you have to travel to a few different locations to collect a good sampling of Irish beers.
If your plan is to include children as part of the crowd, consider starting earlier – say five or 6 o’clock. People who have young children that might need an 8 o’clock bedtime will still be able to come and enjoy the party for part of the night. If the party is for only children, an afternoon gathering is best. This usually avoids morning sports practices or games, and still gets them home in time for dinner. If the guest list will be mostly or all adults, think about hosting it around the same time you think the crowd might be going out to a pub or nightclub. Start the festivities around 8 o’clock, which allows ample time for eating, drinking, and celebrating before your neighbors call the cops on the loud, raucous bunch you have visiting!
Whatever your plan, make sure you have plenty of seating and plenty of flat surface/table space. Depending on the food you are serving, you will need either some place for people to put plates and cut food, or you will need a place for people to place their drinks while they snack on appetizers. You do not need one chair for every guest, unless you are hosting a seated dinner party. NOT having a seat for every guest encourages people to mingle with different people, and might have your guests staying longer so they can socialize with everyone.
Don’t forget to have fun yourself! It isn’t worth hosting a party if you don’t get to enjoy some time with your family and friends. Take some time, grab a drink, eat a little something, and say hello to everyone for at least a few minutes. If it’s the party of the decade, after all, you want to make sure you are more a part of it than just being the clean up crew!
