St. Patrick's Day 2025: 13 FL Towns Rank Among Best Areas To Celebrate

FLORIDA — Thirteen Florida 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 Tampa tying for No. 21 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 Florida cities fared on the top 200 list:

• Tampa, rank No. 21 total score of 57.5
• St. Petersburg, No. 38, total score of 54.45
• Orlando, No. 75, total score of 49.79
• Jacksonville, No. 88, total score of 48.38
• Fort Lauderdale, No. 92, total score of 48.19
• Tallahassee, No. 117, total score of 46
• Hollywood, No. 128, total score of 44.85
• Port St. Lucie, No. 130, total score of 44.76
• Cape Coral, No. 167, total score of 41.5
• Pembroke Pines, No. 191, total score of 35.6
• Miami, No. 192, total score of 34.78
• Hialeah, No. 194, total score of 34.27
• Miramar, No. 199, total score of 31.39

All of the Florida towns dropped a few spots since the 2024 best list, with Miramar nearly being named the worst area for St. Patrick's Day celebrations.

Hialeah and Miramar have two of the lowest percentage of Irish population; while on the flip side, Tampa tied for the most Irish pubs and restaurants per capita.

This year's St. Patrick's Day parade in Tampa will be hosted from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday by Armature Works at the Heights, 910 N. Ola Ave.

The Irish Band MoonCoin Trad will offer live music from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on the lawn, according to an event page. The Scariff School of Irish Dance will take the stage at 4 p.m.

The Hillsborough River will don a green hue, according to the event page.

The top 10 best places to celebrate St. Patrick's Day 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.