Grab your green shirts. Don your red beards. It’s time to gear up for St. Patrick’s Day in San Diego. There are a variety of San Diego St. Patrick’s Day parties and events; we recommend these top 3.

San Diego St. Patrick’s Day Parade (March 11)

This St. Patty’s Day parade is the perfect event for the whole family. (Although with Guinness as a sponsor, there’s also plenty of fun for adults.) Ideal for leprechaun lovers of all ages, there will be contests and activities at the festival, in addition to the parade itself:

• The Celtic Village (a breathtaking recreation of Irish history)
• Face painting
• Art displays
• Contests between Irish dancers, bands and more
• Rides
• And beyond

Fun Fact: This year’s theme is women of the world.

• Parade starts at : 10:30am
• When: ​Fifth and Laurel Streets
• The festival (before & after) : 9 am – 6 pm

Shamrock in the Gaslamp (March 17)

This is the 23rd annual party celebrating leprechauns in the Gaslamp. With 20,000+ people from around the country, it’s a grand-scale celebration. Expect:

• 3 stages
• Fantastic DJs & music
• The right libations (such as green beer and, of course, Jameson)

Snag tickets now at the Shamrock website.

Irish 4 A Day (March 17)

This downtown San Diego pub crawl starts in the late afternoon – and allows you to party happily until 2 am. With access to 25 downtown clubs and bars + free drinks and entertainment; there’s a lot packed into this ticket. For example:

• The opening party at McFadden’s (4 – 8 pm)
• No Cover admission to those 25 included venues
  15 hosted welcome shots (bartender’s choice – perfect time to try what you normally wouldn’t!)
• A sweet finale party at Parq Nightclub
• And more

See the full extent of what this ticket includes & purchase yours ahead of time here.