St. Patrick's Day 2025: 43 CA Towns Rank Among Best Areas To Celebrate

CALIFORNIA — More than 40 California cities should be kept in mind when observing St. Patrick's Day as they were named among the best places to celebrate the popular Irish holiday.

Personal-finance website WalletHub released on Wednesday its 2025 Best Cities to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day, with Santa Rosa peaking at No. 4 among the top 200.

The cities on the best list were scored out of 100 points based on their rankings in the following categories: St. Patrick's Day traditions, St. Patrick's Day weather, safety and accessibility and costs.

“St. Patrick’s Day celebrates the Irish, but it’s become a beloved cultural holiday for millions of
Americans regardless of their ancestry," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in a news release. "The best cities for St. Patrick’s Day combine rich traditions with tasty and affordable food, safe conditions to celebrate, and good weather. Celebrating in one of these cities will increase your chances of having a memorable holiday, as long as you don’t overdo it.”

See how California cities fared on the top 200 list:

• Santa Rosa, rank No. 4, total score of 63.64
• Fresno, No. 15, total score of 59.38
• San Francisco, No. 18, total score of 58.45
• Modesto, No. 28, total score of 56.71
• Thousand Oaks, No. 35, total score of 54.88
• Elk Grove, No. 60, total score of 51.53
• San Diego, No. 61, total score of 51.49
• Rancho Cucamonga, No. 69, total score of 50.68
• Huntington Beach, No. 71, total score of 50.38
• Oxnard, No. 77, total score of 49.7
• Riverside, No. 83, total score of 49.25
• Oceanside, No. 87, total score of 48.57
• Sacramento, No. 100, total score of 47.35
• Torrance, No. 106, total score of 46.75
• Stockton, No. 109, total score of 46.6
• Salinas, No. 116, total score of 46.06
• San Bernardino, No. 119, total score of 45.73
• Pasadena, No. 124, total score of 45.25
• Orange, No. 133, total score of 44.69
• Los Angeles, No. 136, total score of 44.21
• Moreno Valley, No. 141, total score of 43.77
• Ontario, No. 145, total score of 43.34
• Fontana, No. 146, total score of 43.25
• Corona, No. 147, total score of 43.19
• Long Beach, No. 150, total score of 42.93
• Chula Vista, No. 156, total score of 42.32
• Santa Ana, No. 157, total score of 42.31
• Bakersfield, No. 158, total score of 42.3
• San Jose, No. 161, total score of 42.06
• Sunnyvale, No. 163, total score of 41.94
• Glendale, No. 164, total score of 41.83
• Anaheim, No. 170, total score of 41.32
• Garden Grove, No. 173, total score of 40.86
• Fremont, No. 174, total score of 40.4
• Hayward, No. 175, total score of 40.4
• Escondido, No. 176, total score of 40.3
• Fullerton, No. 177, total score of 40.24
• Oakland, No. 178, total score of 39.71
• Irvine, No. 179, total score of 39.68
• Palmdale, No. 180, total score of 39.38
• Lancaster, No. 190, total score of 36.08
• Pomona, No. 193, total score of 34.29
• Santa Clarita, No. 196, total score of 33.76

There were several placement shifts among the California towns since the 2024 best list. Rather than Pomona rounding out the list, this year, Santa Clarita was the closure.

Santa Rosa improved its score by a six-value upward jump; Fresno, San Francisco and Modesto were among other improvements.

SR Recreation and Parks and Fleet Feet Santa Rosa will sponsor the St. Patrick's Day 5K from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Sunday at the courthouse square.

The event will include all ages and abilities, according to the event page. A commemorative finisher medal and mug will be given to participants, and post-race festivities will include a judged costume test and giveaways.

The St. Patrick's Day Paddy Hard Bar Crawl will take place from 4-10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at multiple Fresno sites. Drink specials will be available during the self-guided crawl, according to the event page.

The top 10 best places to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in the U.S. were as follows:

1. Boston, Massachusetts
2. Reno, Nevada
3. Savannah, Georgia
4. Santa Rosa, California
5. Worcester, Massachusetts
6. Chicago, Illinois
7. New York, New York
8. Henderson, Nevada
9. Buffalo, New York
10. Pittsburg, Pennsylvania

St. Patrick's Day is traditionally observed on March 17 in recognition of the missionary Saint Patrick, the primary patron saint of Ireland who was born in Great Britain.

Those who celebrate the Irish holiday usually paint the town green, a color that "originated as a symbol of rebellious Irish nationalism," the History Channel stated. A myth states that people who wear green become invisible to leprechauns while anyone caught not wearing green may be subject to the leprechaun's pinch.

Though modern-day St. Augustine, Florida, was home to the earliest recorded St. Patrick's parade in 1601, New York's parade is deemed the oldest and largest as it travels along over a mile up Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

>> See WalletHub's full report here.