St. Patrick’s Day is an Ocean City tradition, and to many, it’s a favorite holiday to celebrate at in our perpetually-lucky beach town. St. Patty’s ushers in the beginning of the springtime, and hopefully the warm weather and sunshine that come along with it. There’s always a parade and a party or two during the holiday weekend, and Shenanigan’s Irish Pub on the Boardwalk at 4th Street might be the best-known spot in town for, well, St. Patrick’s Day shenanigans.
The pub has been known to celebrate the holiday with two weekends of fun, but since St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Saturday this year, the festivities will be packed into four days, from March 15 – 18. Here’s your handy schedule of St. Patrick’s Day Shenanigan’s.
Thursday
The weekend will kick-off with the annual Eastern Shore Emerald Society Fundraiser. The $10 cover charge at Shenanigan’s will get attendees a commemorative pint glass or cup, as well as drink specials and opportunities to win door prizes. Live music will be provided by James Gallagher & Off the Boat and the Camden County Emerald Society Pipes & Drums.
Friday
Like Thursday–and pretty much the entire weekend–Shenanigan’s manager Nick Feickert says he expects Friday to be a busy day.
“I think people will be looking to get in here before the big crowd on Saturday, so I think Friday is going to be incredibly busy,” he said. “I think a lot of people are going to want to come in and see our new bar and whatnot–be one of the first people to have a pint of Guinness on our new bar.”
Saturday
Saturday, March 17, is the real deal–St. Patrick’s Day, host of the OCMD St. Patty’s Day 5k, the Delmarva Irish-American Club’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and, of course, parties.
First, if you’re looking to burn off all the beer calories you plan on consuming later, run five kilometers up and down the Boardwalk starting at, of course, Shenanigan’s.
OCMD ST. PATRICK’S DAY BOARDWALK 5K 2018
The past three years we have had turnouts with over 1,200 registered runners. The 5 kilometer race will start on the OCMD boardwalk on 4th Street at 9:00 am directly behind Shenanigans Irish Pub. Same rules as last year, Exact start and finish are subject to change slightly depending on timing equipment requirements.
Whether you’re participating in the run or sleeping in, you’ll be able to catch the parade later in the day, an Ocean City tradition and guaranteed fun time since 1980.
Ocean City St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2018 info – OceanCity.com
Ocean City, Maryland 2018 – Ocean City will be glowing in green as the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival, sponsored by the Delmarva Irish-American Club, marches down Coastal Highway on Saturday, March 17, beginning at noon. The procession begins at 57th Street and marches south to the 45th Street Shopping Center, where the viewing and …
Then head on over to Shenanigan’s to down a pint of Guinness, listen to the Irish music and treat yourself to a corned beef and cabbage (or a burger and fries if you prefer American fare).
“We have a special St. Patrick’s Day menu that we do, it’s a limited menu and it’s more focused on the Irish–the fish and chips, the Shepherd’s pie, the corned beef and cabbage,” Feickert said.
You won’t be find any green beer (a tradition that has thankfully lost momentum in recent years) at Shenanigan’s, but you will find the more authentic Irish drinks like the Guinness dry stout, the Smithwick’s red ale and Shenanigan’s classic frozen green Shillelagh, which has all the color and much more flavor than a green beer, anyway.
“If you want to bring your green dye and color your own beer, go right ahead,” Feickert said. “But there’s plenty of more green stuff going on in here.”
The pipe bands will make their way through Shenanigan’s after the parade, and James Gallagher & Off the Boat will perform Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Sunday
Sunday is recovery day, and Shenanigan’s will be open until 5 p.m. Whether you’re preferred hair o’ the dog is another pint or a Bloody Mary, you’ll be able to get it at Shenanigan’s until they close their doors that evening to clean up for the spring season.