St. Patrick's Day 2025: 7 VA Towns Rank Among Best Places To Celebrate

VIRGINIA — Seven Virginia 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 Virginia Beach peaking at No. 30 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 Virginia cities fared on the top 200 list:

• Virginia Beach, rank No. 30, total score of 56.12
• Alexandria, No. 45, total score of 53.54
• Hampton, No. 68, total score of 50.78
• Norfolk, No. 74, total score of 49.82
• Chesapeake, No. 76, total score of 49.75
• Newport News, No. 91, total score of 48.2
• Arlington, No. 120, total score of 45.7

Multiple Virginian towns improved their scores since the 2024 best list, though Chesapeake and Newport News remained near consistent.

Virginia Beach dropped four spots but was still considered the best Virginian town for St. Patrick's Day celebrations. Arlington had the most significant dip, shifting down 38 spots on the ranking.

In observance of St. Patrick's Day, the three-day 53rd Yuengling Shamrock Marathon Weekend will kick off with a sports and fitness expo at 11 a.m. Friday in Virginia Beach.

The TowneBank Shamrock 8K will follow at 7:30 a.m. Saturday before multiple other activities, then the Anthem Shamrock Half Marathon and Yuengling Shamrock Marathon will follow suit at 7:30 a.m. A post-race celebration will close out the weekend at 8 a.m.

The festivities will be hosted at the Virginia Beach Convention Center, 1000 19th St.

Meanwhile, in Norfolk, the 58th Annual Saint Patrick's Day Parade will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday.

The parade will begin at Northside Middle School, near Westmont Avenue and Gramby Street. Radio host Mike Arlo will be the parade's grand marshal, 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.