Ways To Celebrate St. Patrick's Day 2023 In McLean

MCLEAN, VA — St. Patrick’s Day is on a Friday this year. Restaurants and bars around McLean will be swimming in Kelly green, and perhaps flashing red and blue lights if people don’t behave themselves.

And devout Catholics may have to consult their parish priest before they dig into a plate of corned beef and cabbage.

The Washington Regional Alcohol Program's 2023 St. Patrick’s SoberRide program is planned between 4 p.m. Friday, March 17 and 4 a.m. on Saturday, March 18. Because the holiday is considered a high-risk time for intoxicated driving, the program will offer a Lyft ride up to $15.

Related: Free Sober Rides Offered For St. Patrick's Day 2023 In DC Region

Some of the places around McLean to celebrate the March 17 holiday are:

• St. Patrick's Day Festival at Shipgarten: Music, green beer, green eggs and kegs: Shipgarten has everything you need to celebrate St. Paddy's. Live music is scheduled from 2 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Friday, and the first 50 customers will get free swag. On Saturday, keep the party going with beer sampling, a whisky pop-up experience, games, live music from 12:30 to 7 p.m. and a streamer toss at 4 p.m. The Saturday event is only open to those aged 21 and up — come back Sunday for a family-friendly party featuring Disney princesses and Darth Vader. Located at 7581 Colshire Drive in McLean.
• St. Paddy's Day Specials at Bear Branch Tavern: Enjoy specials all day as well as live music starting at 6:30 p.m. There will be shepherd's pie, corned beef and cabbage, Guinness stew, Reuben sandwiches, Reuben egg rolls, green Irish mule drinks, frozen whiskey smash, Irish car bombs, hot and cold Irish coffee, and more. Located at 133 Maple Avenue East in Vienna.
• St. Patrick's Day at Inca Social: Friday, March 17, 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. Come to Inca Social for bar specials like green beer, Jameson and car bombs, and more. Located at 2670 Avenir Place in Vienna.
• Saint Patrick’s Day Dance Party at Tysons Ballroom & Dancesport Center: Friday, March 17, 7 p.m. Join this mini group class with food and drinks. Located at 8032 Leesburg Pike.
• Ireland's Four Provinces St. Patrick's Day: Enjoy K'eggs" breakfast fare from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Friday, March 17, three-course lunch and dinner seatings, live music in the dining room and on the patio, and an Irish favorites menu all day. Reservations are recommended. Located at 105 West Broad St in Falls Church.
• March Madness & St. Patrick's Day at Settle Down Easy Brewing: Thursday, March 16 and Friday, March 17 Watch March Madness games with beer and food specials. Located at 2822 Fallfax Drive in Falls Church.
• Skinny Wallace at JV's Restaurant: Friday, March 17, 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Enjoy live music from Skinny Wallace in kilts for St. Patrick's Day along with beer and food. Located at 6666 Arlington Boulevard in Falls Church.

Devout Catholics abstain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent, a sacrifice that recognizes Jesus’ death on the cross on a Friday. Catholics in several suburban Chicago towns can eat the traditional fare without guilt, but the Diocese of Chicago is holding firm.

Whether revelers in cities like heavily Catholic Chicago, one of the most St. Patrick-y cities in the country, go all in with the holiday staple corned beef and cabbage could come down to whether they get special dispensation from the diocese.
Catholic revelers from Silver Spring will be happy to learn that Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington, has granted Catholics in The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, which includes Montgomery County, dispensation from the abstinence from meat on March 17 this year. This extends to any Catholics who are in the diocese during St. Patrick's Day.

"It is not required that anyone make use of this dispensation. Those who do wish to make use of it are encouraged to abstain from meat on some other day as part of their penitential practices during Lent," according to Gregory's decree.