St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations in Missoula, Montana

St. Patrick’s Day is a day when everyone becomes unofficially Irish. In Missoula where there is a large Gaelic community, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated by the entire city with music, green beer, ethnic cuisine, parties, and city activities. If you are planning on visiting Missoula for St. Patrick’s Day, or if you live in the city and want to know where to go for a little green fun, then you are in luck, as there are many activities both for adults and for families. Just be sure to wear green so you don’t get pinched.

Family Activities

If you are looking for family fun on St. Patrick’s Day then there are several places that you can look. First you can either plan on watching the St. Patrick’s Day parade, or you can put together costumes and/or a float and march along with the other Gaelic participants. The route traditionally begins at the X’s at the north end of Higgins in Downtown Missoula and travels along Higgins over the bridge to the Grizzly Grocery Store. It takes about two hours to march at parade pace through the designated course so make sure your family is up for this distance if you decide to participate. The route will be blocked from traffic and will be lined with on-lookers. For more information about time, themes, and parade participation please call (406) 626-4692. The parade time varies each year, so you will need to call ahead of time to know when and where to line up. If you don’t want to march in the parade, but would like to watch you can line up any where along the route. There are many food vendors and specialty shops along the route so you stop for a bite to eat before, during, or after the parade.

You can also visit the local public library for Celtic and Gaelic themed story times, activities, and books that will be available before, during, and after St. Patrick’s Day. For information about St. Patrick’s Day activities for families and children you can visit their website at http://www.missoula.lib.mt.com in March.

The University of Montana also puts on several Celtic and Gaelic programs that are suitable for families. This includes musical performances, dance recitals, and plays that have a Celtic or Gaelic flare. For more information about University of Montana St. Patrick’s Day activities you can visit their website at http://www.umt.edu.

Cultural Events

If you would like to experience a little Irish culture for St. Patrick’s Day, then you will want to contact the Montana Gaelic Society for demonstrations, shows, dances, and musical performances that will be scheduled throughout the St. Patrick’s Day celebration. These events will not only take place on St. Patrick’s Day but also during the weeks before and after it as well. For information on Celtic events throughout the state of Montana you should visit their website at http://www.mgcsonline.org. You can also email them at info@mgcsonline.org, or write to them at P.O. Box 7264, Missoula, Montana 59807.

The Missoula Independent is another great resource for finding Irish music performances, dance performances, and other cultural events that will be planned for St. Patrick’s Day. You can pick up a free copy of the Missoula Independent at most grocery stores and newsstands. If you live out of town you can also access the content of the Missoula Independent on their website at http://www.missoulanews.com.

Adult Activities

Of course drinking is a staple of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, and being that Missoula is a college town, we have plenty of drinking to be had. In order to make St. Patrick’s Day celebrating safer for both the partiers and the residents of the city, the city offers free shuttle rides between bars on St. Patrick’s Day. The shuttle runs throughout the afternoon and into the night, going from pub to pub. You can use it to travel safely between pub parties.

Missoula bars and pubs each celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in a unique way. Each usually has a theme party, and some years a bar bingo game/scavenger hunt takes place that can allow you to win prizes, free drinks, and cash prizes. You collect pieces or get stamps at each bar that you attend, and those people who collect the most stamps, or who complete a row or column win a prize. Also each bar has games and prizes that are offered. These prizes can range from free drinks and meals to trips or canoes. For more information about these types of events you will need to look for advertisements the week leading up to St. Patrick’s Day in the local paper the Missoulian (http://www.missoulian.com), or by listening to any of the local radio stations.