Best Spots to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

Everyone is Irish on Saint Patrick's Day right? Whether you want to celebrate in style or just enjoy a few frosties while wearin’ the green, here are 7 of the best options Rhode Island offers.

Ladder 133, Providence

Situated in an old firehouse dating to1902, Ladder 133 has kicked up the concept of a sports bar with great food, a cool atmosphere and fun bands. On St. Patty's day, Ladder 133 is throwing the ultimate all-day party featuring three bands and FREE corned beef and cabbage from 11 am 'til 2 am That's 15 hours of free corned beef and cabbage, folks! The entertainment for the day features local fave Dean V performing acoustic during the day, followed by a U2 cover band that is amazing to see live and finishes up with Heavy Rescue, a cover band comprised of local firefighters. Firefighters, U2, corned beef…sounds like a no-brainer to us! 133 Douglas Ave, Providence, 272-7427. 

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St. Patrick's Day Celebration for the Poor, Rhodes on the Pawtuxet, Cranston

For the past 13 years the Irish in Warwick and Cranston have been flocking to the incredible St. Patty's Day party that St. Michael's in South Providence throws. Part reunion and part feast, this is a party with a heart. As the major fundraiser for St. Michael's church, all proceeds go to further the church’s ministry of helping local residents with food and heat. This Saint Patrick's Day party has become a huge family reunion of sorts for 2000 members of the local Irish community, and there’s great food and drink and dancing. The festivities run from 2 pm until 10:30 pm, with adults paying $10 and kids 12 and under free. 60 Rhodes Place, Cranston, 785-4333.  

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Providence Biltmore, Providence

The grande dame of Providence, The Biltmore Hotel, has put together a very cool package for Saint Patty's Day if you're looking to do a little stay-cation. For $199 you get a suite, a pub crawl map with a voucher for a couple of free Guinness drafts (or any other kind of draft, but it is St. Patty's day), and a $50 food voucher for McCormick and Schmick’s. The restaurant will be serving traditional Irish food such as corned beef and cabbage and shepherd’s pie all while Irish step dancers perform and Irish music plays all night long. A great room, great food and drink and great entertainment all adds up to a great St. Patty's day. 11 Dorrance St. Providence, 421-0700.  

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Busker's, Newport

The city of Newport maintains a close relationship with its sister city in Ireland, Kinsale, and it's a good thing with all the Irish who have come here and settled this beautiful island. Busker's on Thames Street is as traditional Irish as it gets. They even went to the trouble of bringing in Irish designers and builders for a renovation in 2003 so the place would have that authentic feel. The food remains true to those ideals also, with some redesign to the idea of Irish pub food. Tender and not too fatty (fat is flavor folks, we need some) the corned beef alone is worth the trip, but we also LOVE the homemade brown bread that comes alongside it. In the traditional sense a "busker" is a street performer, and this Busker's makes Thames Street its stage. 178 Thames St, Newport, 846-5856.  

Patrick's Pub, Providence

A little known fact about the city of Providence is that the elected mayor serves only 364 days a year, because on March 17th the city belongs to Patrick Griffin of Patrick's Pub. For the past 17 years Patrick's Pub has been the official sponsor of the St. Patty's Day parade in Providence and Patrick the defacto head of the city. Any day of the year Patrick's serves decent food in an Irish-themed sports bar, but on Saint Patrick's Day the

bar replaces the Magic Kingdom as the happiest place on earth. There’s music, food, drink and dancing till 2 a.m. If there’s a better place for people watching, corned beef and cabbage and a pint of Guinness on St. Patty's Day, we haven't found it! 381 Smith St, Providence, 751-1553.

McShawn's Pub, Cranston

Because we’re an Irish-Italian hybrid, we're always on the lookout for places that speak to both our souls. So when our favorite cousins invited us to an Irish bar in western Cranston we jumped at the chance. McShawn's is all about substance over flash, The real star of McShawn's is owner Sean Holley's corned beef. If you need to use St. Patty's Day as an excuse, fine, but you need to try this corned beef. Slow cooked the way he learned in the old country, this rivals the best you've ever had. We prefer it simply served on rye with mustard (and sometimes we leave the bread) so the natural flavor comes through.1336 Cranston St,. Cranston, 942-9747.  

Catch a Rising Star, Twin River, Lincoln  

If you need a few laughs this St. Patty's Day, head up to Twin River and the Catch a Rising Star comedy club for their Saint Patrick's comedy festival. Beginning at 7:30 pm they will be featuring all-Irish comedians who are uniquely qualified to help ease the pain of having grown up Irish. And who knows, we think you'll always remember the Saint Patty's Day you hit the jackpot on your way out of the show! 100 Twin River Rd, Lincoln, 877-827-4837.