St. Patrick’s Day

To Do This Weekend: St. Patrick’s Day Stuff

By ARLnow.com

Ireland’s Four Courts seems like the place to be this weekend for pre-St. Patrick’s Day fun. Saturday morning the pub will be hosting runners before and after the Four Courts Four Miler. It is also billing itself as a post-ShamrockFest destination.

Four Court’s normal Sunday activities will become even more Irish-y. Expect a special Irish Sunday brunch. Then, later Sunday night, karaoke become Irish-themed karaoke.

For more dedicated drinkers, the Arlington Athletic and Social League is holding its “St. Practice Day” bar crawl on Saturday. The $10 registration fee is almost worth it just for the t-shirt.

Registration starts between 1:30 and 2:00 p.m. at Mister Day’s. Subsequent destinations include Hard Times Cafe, Clarendon Grill, Eleventh Street Lounge, and SoBe.

For more over-21 festivities, check out our St. Patrick’s Day Guide.

Photo courtesy Stacey Viera of Every Food Fits. Smiley faces added to protect the innocent.

Police Ramping Up DUI Patrols for St. Paddy’s Day

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington County Police Department says it will have extra DUI patrols on hand for St. Patrick’s Day next week. The department also announced that it will conduct a sobriety checkpoint at an as-yet undisclosed location in the county.

According to federal statistics, as many as 37 percent of drivers involved in fatal crashes on St. Patrick’s Day had a blood alcohol content of at least .08, above the legal limit.

“For many Americans, St. Patrick’s Day has become a popular night out to celebrate with friends and family,” Arlington police said in a statement. “Unfortunately, due to the large number of drunk drivers, the night out has also become very dangerous.”

P. Brennan’s Won’t Be Open for St. Paddy’s Day

By ARLnow.com

Hope that P. Brennan’s would open in time for a big St. Patrick’s Day celebration has been squashed. The owners of the new Irish pub on Columbia Pike were trying to wrap up construction and get the proper permits in time for the holiday, but we’re now told that it will instead remain closed.

In its place, however, P. Brennan’s sister pub, McGinty’s, will be hosting a St. Patrick’s Day “extravaganza” featuring a live radio broadcast, a band flown in from Ireland, dancers, specials and giveaways. McGinty’s, located in the Market Square at Potomac Yard development near Crystal City, says it hopes to be “the greenest spot in the county.”

More details on the festivities at McGinty’s and 15 other bars can be found in our St. Patrick’s Day Guide.

The ARLnow.com St. Patrick’s Day Guide

By ARLnow.com

St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Wednesday this year. While the midweek date may put a damper on the daytime festivities (or may put a dent in workplace productivity, depending on your level of commitment), it also gives bar owners a chance to ramp up the revelry the weekend before.

After the jump, we’ve compiled a list of the best (mostly over-21) St. Patrick’s Day fun Arlington has to offer, from Thursday the week before to the wee hours of March 17. Enjoy — and please leave the car at home if you choose to imbibe.


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Clarendon To Hold St. Patrick’s Day Parade

By ARLnow.com

Today the Clarendon Alliance announced that in lieu of this year’s Mardi Gras parade, which was canceled due to snow, Clarendon will host a St. Patrick’s Day parade.

The parade is being held on Tuesday, March 16, the night before St. Paddy’s Day. It will kick off at 8:00 p.m. on Wilson Blvd at N. Barton St. The parade will then head up Wilson Blvd to the Clarendon Metro.

The official details are yet to be announced, but we’re told to expect homegrown floats, people in costumes, and marchers from various local organizations. We’re also told that this may turn into an annual event, if it proves to be successful.