St Patrick's Festival 2027 — Dublin's parade and where else to celebrate in Ireland

St Patrick's Day falls on a Wednesday in 2027, and Ireland builds a long weekend and more around it. Dublin's St Patrick's Festival runs from Saturday 13 to Wednesday 17 March 2027, with the national parade through the city centre at midday on the 17th. The festival says its full events schedule will be published in January 2027, so treat everything below the dates as the shape of the week rather than a timetable, and check back then.

Dublin: the flagship festival and the parade

New here? Our Dublin guide covers where to stay, the Leap card and the DART.

The parade is free to watch from the street. It starts at noon on Wednesday 17 March 2027 at Parnell Square in the north of the city, comes down O'Connell Street, crosses O'Connell Bridge and finishes at the Cuffe Street and Kevin Street junction: a 3.2 km route that takes about two hours to pass any one point. The organisers expect around 500,000 people, so arrive early for a kerbside spot; covered, tiered grandstand seats are sold separately through the festival. Three wheelchair viewing areas (O'Connell Street, Westmoreland Street and St Patrick's Cathedral) and a relaxed parade space for people with sensory needs are allocated by application from mid-January 2027.

Around the parade, the festival fills the centre from the 13th: street performances, workshops and an After Dark programme on 13–16 March, a festival funfair on Custom House Quay for all five days, a treasure hunt on the 13th and the Céilí Mór on Merrion Square West on the 17th. Most events are free; a few need sign-up or a ticket. Roads around the route close from early morning until late afternoon on parade day, so plan to walk or use the train.

Downpatrick, County Down: where Patrick is buried

Downpatrick is the place with the strongest claim to the saint himself. Down Cathedral stands on the hill where his remains are believed to lie, and the grave in the cathedral grounds is open to visitors year-round; the Saint Patrick Centre beside it holds the only permanent exhibition on his life (open daily, 9am to 5pm). Newry, Mourne and Down District Council runs St Patrick's Day parades in both Downpatrick and Newry on 17 March; in 2026 they ran from noon to 4pm with markets, music and street entertainment. The 2027 programme has not been announced yet, so dates and times are to be confirmed. It is about 35 minutes south of Belfast and in the UK, so sterling, not euro.

Armagh: the ecclesiastical capital

Armagh is where Patrick founded his main church, and it is the only city with two cathedrals of the same name, one Church of Ireland and one Catholic, facing each other across the town. Its Home of St Patrick Festival is already dated for 7 to 18 March 2027, run with the local council, and its signature event is the Vigil Walk between the two cathedrals. Armagh is roughly an hour from Dublin and under an hour from Belfast by road.

Cork, Galway and Kilkenny: the big local parades

• Cork — Cork City Council runs a five-day festival over the St Patrick's weekend; in 2026 it ran Friday 13 to Tuesday 17 March, with the parade on the 17th at 1pm on the traditional city-centre route (South Mall, Grand Parade, St Patrick's Street). 2027 dates and times are to be confirmed.
• Galway — Galway City Council's parade on 17 March starts at the University of Galway and runs through the city centre, with a festival village of free entertainment on Eyre Square over the weekend. 2027 timings are to be confirmed by the council.
• Kilkenny — Kilkenny County Council programmes a four-day St Patrick's Festival with more than 80 events, including the parade through the Medieval Mile, family shows, visiting marching bands and a fire-and-drum spectacular; in 2026 it ran 14 to 17 March. 2027 dates and programme are to be confirmed.

Dingle: small, early and local

Dingle's day starts before dawn. The Dingle Fife and Drum Band marches from the Old Hospital at 6am, stops for Mass at St Mary's at 6.30am and finishes around 7.30am at Ashmount Terrace with the national anthem; the main parade leaves Ashmount Terrace at 12.30pm and loops through the town. Those are the times published by the Dingle Peninsula Tourism Alliance; confirm them for 2027 before you set an alarm.

Good to know

Dublin beds for the festival week sell out early and prices rise sharply, so book accommodation as soon as your dates are fixed, or stay outside the centre on the DART or Luas. Mid-March is cold and often wet: layers, a waterproof and comfortable shoes, and ear defenders for small children at the parade, which is loud. For the wider picture on getting around the island, see our Ireland guide.

From the UK: fly to Dublin (DUB), which has direct flights from most major UK cities, or take the ferry (Holyhead to Dublin, Pembroke to Rosslare). Ireland is in the Common Travel Area: British citizens need no visa and are not legally required to show a passport, but most airlines and ferry companies ask for one, so travel with it (GOV.UK Ireland entry requirements).

Dublin on parade day: Transport for Ireland buses run from the airport to the centre around the clock, and a Leap Visitor Card covers Dublin Bus, the Luas tram and the DART for 1, 3 or 7 days. Roads along the parade route close from early morning to late afternoon on 17 March; the festival publishes the closures closer to the date. Intercity trains arrive at Connolly, Heuston and Pearse stations.

Beyond Dublin: Irish Rail reaches Cork and Galway from Dublin Heuston in about two and a half hours and Kilkenny in about an hour and a half; Downpatrick and Armagh are in Northern Ireland, about 35 minutes and an hour from Belfast by road; Dingle is a drive on the Kerry coast, roughly an hour from Killarney.