St. Patrick's Day In Hawaii
St. Patrick's Day In Hawaii
Like Dislike Save
 
 
Nearby places Nearby places
Everything you need to know about celebrating St. Patrick's Day in Hawaii.
Features
• General: Educational • General: Guide • General: History
When you think of Hawaii you probably think of leprechauns, the horrid sound of bagpipes, and hoards of pale gingers who can't get enough of their green beer. Right? Oh, right, this is Hawaii so you probably think more about pristine beaches and clear, blue ocean water instead.


But did you know that around 5% of Hawaii's population has some irish ancestry? You certainly wouldn't know it by looking for the redheads but apparently 1 in 20 people in Hawaii are, at least a little bit, Irish. While you'd think that's why Hawaii loves to celebrate St. Patrick's, chances are good it's more because we require very little reason to party, have fun, and go green without smelling like a hippy.

What Is St. Patrick's Day?


Many of us know the some of the story of St. Patrick who was a patron saint of Ireland, right? It probably ends there for most. As it turns out, St. Patrick was actually born in Britain as Maewyn Succat in the year 385 AD and later changed his name to Patricius (aka, Patrick). Or so the legend goes as record keeping wasn't a big thing back then. And that's really a big part of the problem with Patricius, much of what we know isn't necessarily fact.

Back then, Britain was Roman so Patricius was a Roman citizen who was taken to Ireland as a slave. At some point he either escaped his slavery or was released, again the lack of facts make that anyone's guess. After that he became a priest, went back to Ireland as a Christian missionary, and is credited with converting Ireland to Christianity in the AD 400s.

When Is St. Patrick's Day?


Saint Patrick's day is held on March 17th each year but back in 1991 congress actually proclaimed March as Irish-American Heritage Month. So there you go, you can celebrate your Irish heritage for the entire month, because congress said so.

Celebrating St. Patrick's Day started back in 1631 when the church established a "Feast Day" to honor St. Patrick, which was a full 12 centuries after he died, and that tradition continues on today. Like virtually all "holidays" and ancient traditions we celebrate today, the bulk of the meaning is lost and gone for food and the day is really just another day to hang out with friends and family and have one.

How Does Hawaii Celebrate St. Patrick's Day?


Not surprisingly, Hawaii celebrates the luck of the Irish with various events like parades, fun gatherings, and plenty of drinking. Dress up in your favorite green attire and check out our Hawaii Events Calendar for the St. Patrick's Day events that sound best to you.


If you're in the Waikiki area of O'ahu you'll want to stick around and enjoy the annual St. Patrick's Day parade. This will be one of the bigger "family friendly" events celebrating the day so bring the keiki (kids) and have a good time.


If you're looking for more of an adult oriented party and want to keep it authentic, then Murphy's Bar and Grill is probably one of your best bets for a good time. This block party becomes a pretty big deal, especially later in the evening. During the day it is a bit more keiki friendly with fun stuff for the little ones.

Many restaurants also get into the fun with various dinner and drink specials, so you should have no problem stuffing yourself full of corned beef and cabbage. Some hotels will even offer some fun, keiki-friendly St. Pat's themed events and games as well.