Pinellas County Goes Green With St. Pat's Celebrations

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL – Sure, Wallethub.com may have named Tampa among the top best cities in the country to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. But everyone knows the honor really goes to all of Tampa Bay, which pulls out all the stops as well as the green beer each year to celebrate this uniquely American holiday each year.

This year, St. Patrick's Day falls on a Saturday, so Pinellas County residents can expect to find celebrations going on throughout the community. Here’s a few opportunities to kiss the Blarney Stone this weekend:

FinFest

Finley’s Irish Pub & Eatery, 13477 Belcher Road S., Largo, will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day Saturday, March 17, with a full line up of entertainment including the Guinness Band (noon-6:30 p.m.), the Whiskey Dregs (7-11 p.m.), the Conundrum Band (5-7 p.m. inside) and Midnight Bus Fulla Monkeys (9 p.m.-midnight inside).

Sunday features music by the Soul Circus Cowboys (3-6 p.m.). Call (727) 535-7858.

Irish Stew at Whistle Stop

The Whistle Stop Grill, 915 Main St., Safety Harbor, will celebrate St. Paddy’s Day with a serving of Irish Stew and fresh-baked soda break and live music by Steady Eddie Saturday, March 17 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Call (727) 726-1956.

St. Patrick’s Day Street Fest

Or head on over to Indian Shore Town Hall, 19305 Gulf Blvd., Indian Shores for the annual St. Patrick’s Day Street Fest with arts and crafts vendors, food, corned beef and cabbage, Irish dancers, music by DJ Dan Bauer, beer and wine, a book sale and entertainment Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call (727) 595-4020.

Irish Festival

O’Keefe’s cranks it up another notch and turns St. Patrick’s Day into an Irish Festival with Irish drinks, bagpipers, Highland dancers, over sized lawn games and live music. $5, children free. O’Keefe’s Tavern and Grille, 1219 S Fort Harrison Ave., Clearwater. (727) 442-9034. 5 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Saturday.

Paddy Hard at Mulligan’s

Dress like a leprechaun for this party at Mulligan’s Irish Pub at Wentworth Golf Club, 2990 Wentworth Way, Tarpon Springs, Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. There will be an Irish buffet, green beer, entertainment, children’s activities, a bounce house, face painting and live music by Kimi Tortuga, Lemon Street and Nightly Brew. Call (727) 942-4760.

Sea Dog’s Block Party

Sea Dog Brewing Company, 9610 Gulf Blvd., Treasure Island, will celebrate Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. with a block party that includes live music by the Dan Signor Project (noon-4 p.m.) and Modern Mayhem (5-9 p.m.), Irish stout, whiskey shots, bangers, shepherd’s pie, Reuben sandwiches, Irish egg rolls, shuffleboard, cornhole and billiards. Park by Sunrise Hotel for a shuttle to the party. Call (727) 954-7805.

Lucky Leprechaun Cruise

Climb aboard a party barge at Nikko Mussolini Boutique and Spirits, 9524 Blind Pass Road on St. Pete Beach Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m. for a Lucky Leprechaun Sunset Party with all-you-can-drink rum punch, beer, wine, margaritas and water. Free food and live music awaits you at the dock. The cost is $35. Call (727) 201-4487. 5-9 p.m. Saturday.

Courigan’s Marina Party

Courigan’s Irish Pub, 1 Beach Drive S.E., St. Petersburg will rock the block with a giant marina party featuring an outdoor grill, draft truck, multiple portable bars and live music Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. Call (727) 551-9019.

St. Patrick’s Day Block Party

Thirsty First at 119 First Ave. N., St. Petersburg, will take over First Avenue North for a giant block party with live music by the Soul Circus Cowboys, DJ dancing, a kids’ zone, drink specials and costumed leprechaun wrestling featuring stars of Micro Championship Wrestling. The fun starts at 3 p.m. Saturday. Call (727) 317-3333.

St. Paddy’s at Caddy’s

Caddy’s on the Beach, 9000 W Gulf Blvd., Treasure Island, will bring a touch of the Emerald Isle to the beach with bag pipers, Irish dancers, live music, DJ dancing, bangers and mash, shepherd’s pie and smoked corned beef and cabbage all day Saturday until 11 p.m. Call (727) 360-4993.

Luck O’ the Irish Casino Night

Wear green and hope you have the luck of the Irish for a night of black jack, craps, roulette and Texas hold’em at Crescent Oaks Country Club, 3300 Crescent Oaks Blvd., Tarpon Springs. The event runs Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m. and features a dinner of corned beef and cabbage. Call (727) 944-2060.

St. Paddy’s at Flanagan’s

Flanagan’s Irish Pub, 465 Main St., Dunedin, will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with green beer, Irish step dancers, traditional Irish food, artwork and music by the Dunedin Pipe Band (noon-12:20 p.m. and 9-9:45 p.m.), Cage O’Hanlon (12:30-1:50 p.m., 2:30-2:45 p.m. and 5:15-6:45 p.m.) and Clovers Revenge (7:45-8:50 p.m. and 9:50-10:50 p.m.) Saturday from 4 to 10 p.m. Call (727) 736-4994.

Brats and Beer

Chic-A-Boom Room, 310 Main St., Dunedin will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day from noon to 3 a.m. with $3 green can Bud and Bud Lights, $5 green tea shots, corned beef and cabbage, Guinness brats, Ruebens and music by Cutty Jones. Call (727) 736-0206. Noon-3 a.m. Friday-Saturday.

St. Patrick’s Day MacDinton’s Way

MacDinton’s Irish Pub St. Petersburg, 242 First Ave. N., St. Petersburg, will host a party with Irish dancers, bag pipers, traditional Irish food and green beer Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 a.m.

After the celebration, return to MacDinton’s for your hangover cure of $1 burgers, $3 Coronas and $3 Tully Green Teas Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Call (727) 201-9783.

Party at Cricketers

Cricketers Dunedin, 2634 Bayshore Blvd., Dunedin, will host a party under the tent with live bands, bagpipers, full liquor bars, a beer truck with green beer, food and a Lucky Ducks game Saturday from noon to midnight.

Grillsmith goes green

GrillSmith, 2539 Countryside Blvd., Clearwater, will offer photos with Smitty the leprechaun, corned beef and cabbage and drink specials from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday. Call (727) 726-6061.

St. Patrick’s Day Yard of Ale

Yard of Ale, 260 First Ave. N., St. Petersburg, will throw a block party Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with live music, DJ dancing, bagpipers, Irish dancers, green beer and food. Call (727) 822-2027.

St. Patrick’s Day at O’Maddy’s

O’Maddy’s, 5405 Shore Blvd., Gulfport, will host a St. Patrick’s Day party Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight with green beer, live music by Pete and Dean, Sweet Spot and The Josh Cruz Experience, raffles and food. Call (727) 323-8643.

St. Patrick’s Day at Peggy’s

St. Patrick’s Day brings an indoor and outdoor party to Peggy O’s Kitchen and Taps, 1026 Florida Ave., Palm Harbor, with dancers, bag pipers, green beer and live music by The Outpatients, Hope Darling, Red House Road, Audio Star, Kamara O Fa, Larry Castle, the Dunedin Pipe Band, Lie Low, Jeriko Turnpike, Denny Dwyer, Dennis Panars and Velvet Jones. Festivities end outside at 11 p.m., but the party rolls on until 1 a.m. inside. Call (727) 787-7734.

Think Green

Mastry’s Brewing Company, 7701 Blind Pass Road, St. Pete Beach, wants party-goers to think green for St. Patrick’s Day by starting the day with a beach clean-up at four area beaches (9 a.m. to noon). Then return to the brewery where the party starts with a market (noon to 3 p.m.), food truck (noon to 8 p.m.) and DJ dancing (6 to 10 p.m.). Call (727) 202-8045.

Three Birds, Three Pints

The indoor and outdoor all ages party at Three Birds Tavern, 1492 Fourth St. N., St. Petersburg, Saturday from features traditional Irish fare, drink, music and performances by the Scariff-Gilleoghan School of Irish Dance. Call (727) 895-2049.

Lucky Dog

A St. Patrick’s Day-themed pet adoption event with a "Hair of the Dog" bloody Mary bar and a raffle to benefit the Suncoast Animal League will take place Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Cricketers Dunedin, 2634 Bayshore Blvd., Dunedin. Call (727) 736-1322.

Paws in Paradise

Dress yourself and your dog in green for a "jammin’" St. Patrick’s Day dog party with live steel drum music, free fresh mini doughnuts and discounts on ice cream at Larry’s Ice Cream and Gelato, 6595 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach, Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. Call (727) 522-6566.

St. Paddy’s Day Block Party

The 300 block of Corey Avenue on St. Pete Beach will host a giant outdoor St. Patrick’s Day party Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. with a cornhole tournament (noon), live music by Tropical Disturbances (1 to 5 p.m.) and Rhythm and Boone (5 to 11 p.m.), food trucks, corned beef and cabbage, green beer, face painting and a dance party. Call (727) 363-7944.

St. Paddy’s Extravaganza

Lucky Dill Deli, 33180 U.S. 19 N., Palm Harbor, is cooking up nearly 10,000 pounds of corned beef and cabbage for its celebration all day Saturday and Sunday, which includes a special Irish menu, kegs of green beer, bagpipers, stilt walkers, a fire hula show and live music by the Irish Rambles, Damien and Kenny, Celtic Conundrum, Paddy O’Furniture and the Black Velvet Band. Call (727) 789-5574.

St. Patrick’s Day at the Museum

Kids can explore Ireland through stories, flag making and magical rainbow inertia experiments at Great Explorations Children’s Museum, 1925 Fourth St. N., St. Petersburg, Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call (727) 821-8992.