For over four decades, the Dallas St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival has been a point of pride for the city. The event is the largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the Southwest and draws some 125,000 attendees to Greenville Avenue each year. That will not be the case in 2020. In a sad but necessary measure, the city of Dallas called for the cancellation of the parade and festival on Wednesday in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus. On Thursday, County Judge Clay Jenkins banned gatherings of more than 500 people and strongly discouraged those of 250 or more. So be aware before you decide to venture out this weekend.
It’s an exercise in social distancing, a tactic scientists and medical experts say is crucial in controlling the pandemic. If you’ve been reading our ongoing coverage of COVID-19, you’ve heard the term by now. The bottom line is, large gatherings are probably a bad idea at the moment–even if you’re young and perfectly healthy. It’s not you that needs protecting, it’s all the people you come in contact with. And the people they come in contact with. But whether you’re going to the grocery store or going to a concert, remember to stay sanitized, don’t touch your face, and limit contact with others. Choose your debit card over filthy cash. Avoid sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with people at bars. And remember that drinking weakens your immune system. It’s a scary time, and precautions aren’t to be taken lightly. That said, the show (kind of) goes on.
Many St. Patrick’s Day celebrations are moving ahead despite the cancellation of the official parade and block party. Here are some of the events scheduled to forge on this weekend.
The Dash Down Greenville is continuing as a virtual event this year. Check out their website to see what that means.
Foxtrot Market in Uptown is hosting a Kegs & Eggs party from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. with $2 Guinness pints and free breakfast tacos. No tickets or RSVP required. Edit: This event has been canceled.
The famous Lower Greenville Block Party has been canceled–but the participating bars will still have in-house parties and drink specials. Stop by Stan’s Blue Note, The Dubliner, Blue Goose, Halcyon, Terili’s, or Slater’s 50/50.
The People’s Last Stand will be having a more civilized but equally boozy afternoon at its St. Patrick’s Day Cocktail Class. The bar will teach you how to make two different cocktails with Irish whiskey. Tickets are $55 and include drinks and a champagne toast.
The Crafty Irishman has planned a whole St. Patrick’s Week. The Downtown Dallas bar has a whole week’s worth of concerts and drink specials, including bagpipes on Saturday night.
In Expo Park, Sandaga 813 and Eight Bells Bar have an untraditional St. Patrick’s Day block party with DJs, hookah and cigars, food trucks, crawfish, and more. You can head there after the parade on the DART; it’s near the Fair Park Station. Tickets are $40 and include a t-shirt.
There’s a big bar crawl happening on Saturday that extends through both Deep Ellum and Uptown. The crawl goes from 12-6 p.m. and includes Deep Ellum spots Anvil Pub, Bitter End, Harlowe, and Off The Cuff; and Uptown bars Blackfriar Pub, Christie’s Sports Bar, City Council, and Clutch. It all wraps up with an after party at Concrete Cowboy on Cedar Springs. Tickets start at $10 and include drink specials at participating bars.
Community Beer Company will raise its glass at St. Patrick’s Day at the Brewery on Saturday at 2 p.m. There will be some Irish-themed special releases, custom glassware, live music, food trucks, and brewery tours. Tickets are $15 and include three pints.
The Rustic welcomes country star Pat Green to the stage for St. Pat’s Day. The Grammy-nominated musician will perform there on Tuesday night with opening act Triston Marez. Tickets are $27.
Truck Yard Dallas presents Truck of the Irish, an all-day event in its Greenville Avenue yard. There will be live music, bagpipes, Irish drink specials, and more. There’s no cover.
Legacy Hall hosts a bevy of St. Patrick’s Day activities starting on Saturday and going through Tuesday. There will be authentic Celtic music performances, dancing, prizes, and a “Leprechaun Olympics” on Saturday. There will be plenty of green beer, but this event is child-friendly.
Discover a treasure trove of greens at the Dallas Farmers Market. The market will have St. Patty’s Day specials like green beer at Rex’s Seafood and green margaritas at El Mero Mero Tamalero, plus a vendor market, and bagpipe performance. The family-friendly event goes from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Oak Cliff’s Wild Detectives has a special, Irish edition of Kids in the Cliff featuring St. Patrick’s Day stories by authors including Judy Sierra and John and Fatti Burke. The reading circle starts at 11 a.m.
