St. Patrick’s Day in Ottawa

Did you know? It was emigrants, particularly to the USA, who make St. Patrick’s Day into the holiday we know today. Boston held its first St. Patrick’s Day parade in 1737, followed by New York City in 1762.

Below we’ve included a few events to help you celebrate all things Irish along with some interesting facts about this longstanding celebration.

St. Patrick’s Day Events

Mar 5-17. Ottawa Irish Festival. Parade on Mar 14 at 11am on Laurier St. irishsocietyncr.com

Mar 14. DJ Skate Night. St. Patrick’s Day edition. $5. tdplace.ca

Mar 14. Beau’s St. Patrick’s Day Party. Irish inspired cuisine, activities and live entertainment. $35. stpatricksparty.ca

Mar 17. St. Patrick’s Day at Algonquin. Celtic music, stein-holding contest and prizes. Free. algonquinsa.com

What You May Not Know About St. Patrick’s Day

1. The colour of St. Patrick’s Day was originally blue.
2. Wearing green is now the staple of St. Patrick’s Day, but this day originally associated with the colour blue.
3. In 1962,  Chicago dyed their river green for St Patrick’s Day.
4. The real St. Patrick wasn’t Irish. He was born in Britain around A.D. 390.
5. The odds of finding a four-leaf clover are about 1 in 10,000.

For a list of all other events happening in March, download the PDF below.