Which St. Patrick’s Day in Hawaii Celebration is Right for You?

Your vacation just HAPPENS to overlap with St. Patrick’s Day in Hawaii, and you’ve heard there’s lots to do. But, how can you decide which celebration is right for you? After all, this may be your first and only chance to spend this uber-fun holiday in paradise. So, you’ll want to make the right decision! Read-on to learn about the big events and which crowd usually heads there:

Good for Families AND Those Who Party Big

Murphy’s Bar and Grill: Promoters call this celebration the Grandest St. Patrick’s Day Celebration in the Pacific! It’s also a pretty charitable one: Murphy’s will be donating two dollars per pound of corned beef sold throughout the week to benefit the Hawaii Children’s Cancer Foundation.

For families, you can take advantage of the delicious lunch and keiki fair, while those who party into the night can start at 5 p.m., when the block party begins.

Here are the details:

• Murphy’s Bar and Grill will be open at 11 A.M. serving lunch in the restaurant, and starting at  11:30 A.M., we will be open in the parking lot across the street, where we will have several booths set up with food, beverages, t-shirts, and other souvenirs.
• From 12 P.M. until 3 P.M. we will have a “Keiki Fair” with face painting, balloons, crafts, story telling and much more
• At 5 P.M. the restaurant will block Nuuanu and Merchant Streets to start the big block party (No admission charge) After 6 P.M. children are allowed, but not recommended. There will be more booths, live music and DJ stages, dancing, and a lot of fun!

Parade-Lovers and Families with Young Children

The 50th Annual Waikiki St. Patrick’s Day Parade: This year, the parade will be held on Friday March 17, 2017.  Join us when the march steps off on Kalakaua Ave. in front of Ft DeRussey and makes its way through Waikiki to the bandstand at Kapiolani Park.  The parade has around 800 participants including community organizations, marching bands, groups from the military, and keiki from schools.  The parade lasts about 90 minutes.  If you’re staying in one of the many Oahu hotels located in Waikiki, you will likely be able to walk to the parade route.

Runners and Athletic-Types/Families, Too

9th Annual St. Patrick’s Day 5k Fun Run at Ford Island: This fun and festive event is in support of the 117th Submarine Birthday Ball and starts in the early morning on Ford Island.

• Registration is required for all runners 12 and up.
• Wear costumes or St. Patrick’s Day colors!
• Registration includes entry to win a NIKE Watch. Additional raffle tickets will be available the morning of the race.
• Awards will be presented to the Top 3 Males, Top 3 Females, Best Costume and the Command or group with the most participation.

The event will start across from the Navy Lodge on Ford Island.  The run begins promptly at 7AM.  Arrive early to get your t-shirtds and other Sub Ball memorabilia.  Parking attendants and volunteers will be on site to point you in the right direction.

We may not have a HUGE Irish population in Hawaii (about 5% of our population hails from Irish descent), but no matter! St. Patrick’s Day in Hawaii is still a big celebration — and it’s one you WON’T want to miss. So, decide which event is right for you, and I’ll see you at the party!

Posted by: Bruce Fisher on Mar 9, 2017