Five Ways to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day This Weekend

Go green, or go home: WalletHub recently sent out another list, this one analyzing 2017's Best Cities for St. Patrick's Day Celebrations. And while Denver has long prided itself on hosting one of the biggest St. Paddy's parades in the country, this city ranks a sad 47th in Wallethub's eyes. Buffalo grabbed the top slot, and even Fort Collins beat Denver with a respectable 24th-place showing.

But Denver definitely knows how to party on St. Patrick's — or even before March 17, since many of the big celebrations have already started. Here are five ways to go green this weekend.

1. Denver Union Station St. Patrick’s Day 2017
Saturday, March 11, starting at 7 a.m.
Get your Irish up before the parade. The Terminal Bar at Denver Union Station will open at 7 a.m. on Saturday, March 11, for folks who need a little refreshment before the parade begins. After the parade, starting at noon, local Irish band Ruby Rakes will be playing out on the Terminal Bar Beer Garden patio and Irish Dancers will be performing at 1 and 2 p.m. The Terminal will be serving special Corned Beef Hash for $10 and pouring special Dew and a Brew" with Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey and Odell 90 Schilling Ale for $10.
2. St. Patrick's Day Parade
Saturday, March 11, 9:30 a.m. to 11
Saint Patrick was a Christian bishop from Ireland in the fifth century who the world now honors by slamming too much Guinness and Jameson. Don’t miss Denver’s ode to the green one at the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Starting at 9:30 a.m., bagpipe players, traditional Irish dancers and even the honorary Consul for Ireland in Denver (who knew?) will lead the way for the 55-year-old parade, starting at the Coors Field parking lot and winding down Wynkoop, 17th and Blake streets before heading back to the ballfield. For more information, visit denverstpatricksdayparade.com.

3. St. Baldrick's Fundraisers
Saturday, March 11
At 12:30 p.m. on March 11, Sanitas Brewing Co. at 3550 Frontier Avenue in Boulder will be hosting the St. Baldrick's crew, who'll be shaving heads to benefit childhood-cancer research. For more hair-raising action, head to the Thirsty Lion at 1605 Wynkoop Street at 1 p.m. Find out more about both benefits here.

4. Hooley Fun With the McLoughlin Brothers
Saturday, March 11 through Sunday, March 12
Frank and Jim McLoughlin are natives of Dublin, and it shows at their quartet of metro Denver bars: The Irish Snug at 1201 East Colfax Avenue, McLoughlin's, at 2100 16th Street, Slattery's Irish Pub, 5364 Greenwood Plaza Boulevard in Greenwood Village, and Maggie Smith's, at 6631 South Peoria Street in Englewood. All four promise plenty of "good, old-fashioned hooley fun" (and no green beer) all day on Saturday March 11, and Sunday, March 12. And the fun repeats next weekend. This has been a tough year for Irish bars, so the survival of this crew is something to celebrate.

5. 7K Runnin' of the Green
Sunday, March 12, 10:15 a.m.
The runnin' of the Green, a family-oriented foot race/walk, has been a fixture of Denver's St. Patrick's Day celebrations for almost thirty years, and has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Volunteers of America. This year's event, the 29th annual,  starts at 10:15 a.m. in front of Union Station (registration begins at 7 a.m.). And don't miss the after-party between 17th and 20th streets on Wazee Street, complete with a beer garden, live Irish Music, corned beef and bagels from Shamrock Foods, and much, much more. Find more information here.

Watch for more St. Patrick's Day listings early next week. If you know of an event that should be included, send information to cafe@westword.