Saint Patrick's Day in Portland, Oregon

Saint Patrick's Day is a holiday celebrated annually in the American city of Portland, Oregon. In 2017, Brooke Jackson-Glidden and Chad Walsh of Eater Portland wrote, "Sure, Portland isn't Boston, with its street brawls and legit black pudding, but we hold our own. Portland's festivities range from quiet highballs of whiskey to green Jell-O shots, with all the expected bagpipes and bangers."[1] In 2025, writers for Portland Monthly said, "In March, just about every bar in town with an O' or a Mc in its name hosts some kind of St. Patrick's Day party."[2]

Events

Many bars and restaurants host themed events. Kells Irish Pub and Kells Brewery host the Kells Irish Festival at Tom McCall Waterfront Park. Activities include boxing matches and live music.[3] Paddy's St. Patrick's Day Festival has food specials, Irish dancers and live music, bagpipers, and whiskey tastings.[3] The 2021 event was scaled down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] In 2023, the fourteenth iteration of the event included a successful attempt to create the world's largest Irish coffee.[5][6] Proceeds from the festival have benefitted the Children's Cancer Association.[7] Portland Monthly called these "raucous, weekend-long" celebrations.[2] Other local establishments with celebrations have included EastBurn, Jake's Famous Crawfish,[8] Kennedy School,[3][9] Multnomah Whiskey Library, and the defunct Raven & Rose.[1][2]

The Portland Spirit features Irish dancing and music on its annual Shamrock Cruise.[3][10] The All-Ireland Cultural Society hosts an annual St. Patrick's Day Celebration with bagpipes, dancing, drums, live music, and Irish food and drinks.[10] The 2022 event was virtual because of the pandemic and featured Irish dancers, musicians, and singers.[11] The "St. Agatha Catholic School's Sellwood and Moreland St. Patrick's Day Parade and Festival" is held annually, but experienced a hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]

National bar crawl brand Barcrawlerz hosted a "Kiss Me I'm Irish" pub crawl.[10] The LepraCon pub crawl is organized by the team behind SantaCon; stops on the event have included Dante's and Kelly's Olympian.[10] In 2024, the St. Patrick's Day Block Party and Pub Crawl was described as the city's largest pub crawl by Willamette Week.[13] A "Lucky Charms" edition of Portland Night Market was held the weekend before the holiday in 2026.[14]

Elsewhere in the Portland metropolitan area, the Dirty Leprechaun obstacle course race was held in Tualatin for six years, as of 2020.[15]

Shamrock Run

Established in 1979, the annual Shamrock Run is the largest running event in Oregon and the first of the year's major running events.[16][17][18] Hannah Seibold of the Portland Tribune has said the event "[combines] a full weekend of races with a lively St. Patrick’s Day–inspired festival atmosphere".[19] Participants often wear costumes and green clothing.[16] A festival at the finish line at Waterfront Park has live entertainment as well as food and drinks, including beer.[3] The event includes a Leprechaun Lap for children aged 10 and younger[11] and the Shamrock Showdown, which is a team competition among local running clubs.[17] The Shamrock Run is a fundraiser for Doernbecher Children's Hospital.[20][21]

Approximately 20,000 people participated in 2019 and 2023,[11][22] and the event has seen as many of 25,000 participants.[23] The 2020[24] and 2021 events were canceled because of the pandemic.[17][25] The 2022 event had approximately 15,000 participants.[26] Approximately 20,000 people participated in 2026.[27]

St. Paddy's Day Parade

The family-friendly St. Paddy's Day Parade in northeast Portland features dancing, live music, pipers, and other activities traditionally associated with Saint Patrick's Day.[3] The event was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic.[11] In 2024, The Oregonian said: "It's the 35th year for this annual parade that kicks off at Fernwood/Cleary Elementary School. Expect decorated floats, Portland community groups, a drum line, bagpipers, team mascots, kids on bikes and a color guard."[28]

Law enforcement and ridesharing programs

The Portland Police Bureau and other local law enforcement agencies have partnered to increase patrols around the holiday in an effort to reduce drunk driving. The 2024 operation yielded approximately 1,600 traffic stops, 950 citations, and 75 arrests for speeding, distracted driving, and driving under the influence.[29] The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) has also provided Safe Ride Home coupons to encourage use of ridesharing.[30][31][32] The Safe Ride Home program launched in 2017 and has also been used for the holidays Cinco de Mayo and New Year's Eve.[33]

Mill Ends Park

Mill Ends Park has ties to Irish folklore and Saint Patrick's Day.[34][35] After The Oregon Journal reporter Dick Fagan began telling the tale of a leprechaun named Patrick O'Toole who dug the hole for the park, the park, according to KGW, "became a place of imagination, hosting annual snail races on St. Patrick's Day, attracting cowboy visitors who planted a Texas Rose, and even featuring a miniature Ferris wheel lowered in by crane for its resident leprechauns."[36]

In 2021, The Oregonian said: "When crews were working on the nearby Hawthorne Bridge, they used an actual, full-sized crane to install a 5-inch Ferris wheel at the park. St. Patrick's Day was regular cause for celebration at Mill Ends Park... The Portland Rainmakers, a city ambassador group that was essentially a rowdier version of the Royal Rosarians, took part in the park's shenanigans. Dick Fagan had a long-standing, good-natured feud with a local bagpiper troupe, who always came out to play the pipes on St. Patrick's Day. The mayor and other city dignitaries would attend the celebration."[37]

After Fagan died in 1969, the newspaper published a cartoon of a leprechaun in the park, holding a shamrock. Portland formally adopted Mill Ends Park as an official city park on Saint Patrick's Day in 1976, five years after receiving "world's smallest park" status from the Guinness World Records.[38] Fagan's family gathers at the park each Saint Patrick's Day to remember him.[36]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2017-03-16). "Where to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day 2018 in Portland". Eater Portland. Vox Media. Archived from the original on 2025-07-14. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  2. ^ a b c "Portland's Best Irish Bars". Portland Monthly. ISSN 1546-2765. Archived from the original on 2025-11-21. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Stein, Rosemarie (2025-03-07). "Celebrate St. Patrick's Day 2025 with more than 10 Portland area events". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2025-06-04. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  4. ^ "Paddy's, Portland's Oldest Irish Pub, Is Bringing Back Its Traditional Street Party on St. Patrick's Day". Willamette Week. 2022-02-18. Archived from the original on 2025-07-23. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  5. ^ Mahoney, Teresa (2023-03-18). "Watch Portland's oldest Irish bar attempt a Guinness World Record with the largest Irish coffee". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  6. ^ "Paddy's Breaks World Record for Largest Irish Coffee". Willamette Week. 2023-03-20. Archived from the original on 2024-06-25. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  7. ^ Evensen, Julie (2023-03-10). "Here are all the ways to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in the Portland area". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2023-06-10. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  8. ^ "St. Paddy's Day Celebrations, Cider Festivals, and More Portland Food Events". Portland Monthly. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  9. ^ Williams, Kale (2025-03-14). "Where to get your green on for St. Patty's in Portland". Axios Portland. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  10. ^ a b c d Stein, Rosemarie (2024-03-05). "Celebrate St. Patrick's Day 2024 with these 10 Portland area events". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2024-03-19. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  11. ^ a b c d Stein, Rosemarie (2022-03-10). "Ready to celebrate St. Patrick's Day? Try these 7 Portland events". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  12. ^ "St. Agatha's revives its St. Patrick's Day celebration". East PDX News. Retrieved 2026-03-08.
  13. ^ "What to Do in Portland (March 13-19, 2024)". Willamette Week. 2024-03-12. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  14. ^ "From St. Patrick's festivals to the Biamp Portland Jazz Festival: 8 things to do this weekend". KGW. 2026-03-13. Retrieved 2026-03-14.
  15. ^ "Dirty Leprechaun brings the fun and mud to St. Patrick's Day in Portland | Events". Daily Hive. 2020-01-25. Archived from the original on 2024-06-23. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  16. ^ a b Stein, Rosemarie (2025-03-14). "Soggy Shamrock runners to hit downtown, SW Portland streets Sunday". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2025-04-08. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  17. ^ a b c "Winners of Shamrock Run 8K get their weight in beer". KGW. 2023-03-10. Archived from the original on 2023-06-02. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  18. ^ "Which roads will be closed during Portland's Shamrock Run?". KGW. 2024-03-13. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  19. ^ Seibold, Hannah (2026-03-10). "Feeling Lucky? Portland's Shamrock Run Fest is back". Portland Tribune. Retrieved 2026-03-10.
  20. ^ "47th annual Shamrock Run brings thousands to downtown Portland". KOIN. Archived from the original on 2025-04-06. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  21. ^ "Shamrock Run Festival draws thousands for 47th annual Portland event". KGW. 2025-03-16. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  22. ^ Stein, Rosemarie (2024-03-14). "Shamrock Run closes some downtown Portland streets Sunday. Expect crowds, travel delays". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2024-05-04. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  23. ^ Stein, Rosemarie (2022-03-10). "Plan now for closed and crowded streets during Sunday's Shamrock Run". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2025-07-22. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  24. ^ Perry, Douglas (2020-03-12). "Shamrock Run won't happen, due to Gov. Kate Brown's decision; runners offered 'virtual run' or deferment to 2021 race". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2025-08-24. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  25. ^ COVID-19 pandemic:
  26. ^ Eadens, Savannah (2022-03-13). "Shamrock Run returns to downtown Portland after nearly 3 years". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2022-04-07. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  27. ^ "Nearly 20,000 celebrate St. Patrick's Day at Portland's 48th annual Shamrock Run". KGW. 2026-03-15. Retrieved 2026-03-17.
  28. ^ Stein, Rosemarie (2024-03-05). "Celebrate St. Patrick's Day 2024 with these 10 Portland area events". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2024-03-19. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  29. ^ "Portland-area police maintain heightened DUII enforcement on St. Patrick's Day". KGW. 2025-03-16. Archived from the original on 2025-07-24. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  30. ^ Park, Victor (2025-03-15). "Authorities doubling down on traffic enforcement during St. Patrick's Day Weekend". KATU. Archived from the original on 2025-03-15. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  31. ^ Edge, Sami (2025-03-16). "Portland agencies continue DUI patrols through St. Patricks Day". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2025-04-07. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  32. ^ "Portland, other local police pull over 900+ drivers through St. Patrick's Day weekend". KATU. 2025-03-17. Archived from the original on 2025-03-18. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  33. ^ "Portland metro partygoers offered free public transit, reduced rideshare prices on New Year's Eve". KGW. 2025-12-29. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  34. ^ "St. Patrick's Day is a special day for the world's smallest park". KATU. 2023-03-18. Archived from the original on 2023-05-06. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  35. ^ "Portland's Mill Ends Park 'only leprechaun colony west of Ireland'". KOIN. Archived from the original on 2024-02-12. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  36. ^ a b "Park in Japan dethrones Portland's famous Mill Ends Park as smallest in the world". KGW. 2025-03-17. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  37. ^ Swindler, Samantha (2021-04-05). "How Portland ended up home to the world's smallest park". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2024-04-22. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
  38. ^ "Meet the Portland newspaper reporter who built and named Mill Ends Park". KGW. 2024-03-15. Retrieved 2026-02-15.

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