When it comes to holidays, it is no secret that Charleston, South Carolina tops the chart with parties and fun ways to celebrate. St. Patrick’s Day is no different in the low country, so we are going to get into all the fun ways to spend your St. Paddy’s Day in Charleston… Are you feeling lucky?

First, Let’s go over some of the history of St. Patrick’s Day and how far our modern version is from the actual story. The celebration of St. Patrick’s Day “started in 1631 when the church established a feast day honoring St. Patrick,” according to Time Magazine. Although not much is known about St. Patrick, we do know that he had great “luck” converting the Druid culture into Christians in Ireland (Time). This luck is what we refer to today as “the luck of the Irish” even though St. Patrick was from Britain in Roman times but was imprisoned in Ireland (Time).

Today, we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by wearing as much green as we can find, picking four leaf clovers, and drinking green beer. As you can see, traditions of St. Patrick’s Day have come a long way; now, let’s take a look at how Charleston locals choose to celebrate the holiday.

According to “Visit Historic Charleston”, the St. Patrick’s Day parade starts with an 8 am mass at St. Patrick’s catholic church. Beginning at the church at 10am, the parade of Irish step dancers, fiddlers, marching bands, and many more will continue down King Street. Make sure to grab your spot on the King Street sidewalk to get a good view. After the parade, Charleston City Hall will raise Ireland’s flag, and visitors will disperse into downtown Charleston’s popular bars and restaurants.

Speaking of bars, Charleston is no stranger to an organized bar crawl, especially on St. Patrick’s Day. Simply do a google search for the sport and you will find numerous options to pick your perfect night out. The way it typically works is you will buy a ticket that will get you drink specials at participating bars in the Charleston area. Sounds like a sweet deal!

Maybe you like a bit more exercise than a late-night bar crawl. Well, look no further than the Charleston St. Patrick’s Day 5K run. According to Explore Charleston, the race offers amazing views of the Cooper River Bridge, USS Yorktown, and the Charleston Harbor. The fun doesn’t end after you cross the finish line; in fact, it’s just beginning. Winners get a pot of gold, and those who finish the race before the leprechaun win prizes as well. Everyone can celebrate their victory with a post run party of food, drinks and live music, and the best part is that all proceeds go to Pattison’s Academy.

In conclusion, the possibilities to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day are endless in Charleston. So, grab your good luck charm, and we’ll race you to the pot of gold!