St. Patrick’s Day is a time to celebrate the luck of the Irish with parades, festivals, the clinking of beer glasses and good, old-fashioned frivolity. Whether you’re searching for ways to honor your Irish heritage or merely look good in green, Oklahoma has a St. Patrick’s Day bash for you. Read on to discover Oklahoma’s top Irish pubs, restaurants and even family-friendly options where you can celebrate the legend of St. Patrick in style.
Oklahoma City Metro Area
Sham-ROCK the Gardens - Oklahoma City
Get in the St. Patrick’s Day spirit with family-friendly fun along the green-dyed waters of Myriad Botanical Gardens’ pond at Sham-ROCK the Gardens. Wander throughout the gardens to find kid-centric activities like shamrock face-painting while sipping on a glass of green beer and savoring tasty eats from an array of Irish-themed food trucks. All ages can gather around the Band Shell to hear the Oklahoma Scottish Pipe and Drums, as well as watch professional Irish dancers flaunt traditional performances along to Celtic folk music. You can even learn how to dance your own jig with the help of Irish clubs on-site.
Stockyards City St. Patrick's Parade - Oklahoma City
Celebrate this beloved Irish holiday with the top-notch Stockyards City St Patrick's Day Parade that winds through the heart of historic Stockyards City, bringing with it the thrilling sounds of traditional Irish music, the collective purr of motorcycles in formation and the joyous exclamations of parade participants playing to the crowd. Featuring the famous Chain Ranch Longhorns being herded down Exchange Avenue to kick-off the parade, you'll also see marching bands, bagpipes, antique cars, community groups, equestrian entries and much more. Join the thousands of spectators that line the main streets of Stockyards City each year, bring a lawn chair and spend the morning listening to upbeat Irish songs and cheering on Irish step dancers as they whirl past.
O'Connell's Irish Pub - Norman
Located just minutes south of the Oklahoma City metro area, the college town of Norman knows how to throw a St. Patrick’s Day bash. At O’Connell’s Irish Pub & Grille you’ll find a lively atmosphere where anything goes. Karaoke, limitless brew and live music are the staples of this college crowd hotspot, where pints, pitchers and colossal “rockets” of bold Irish stouts like Guinness or Smithwick’s are served up to crowds of party-goers on St. Patrick’s Day.
Tulsa Metro Area
ShamROCK the Rose - Broken Arrow
Kick off your St. Patrick’s Day shenanigans with a festive block party in downtown Broken Arrow’s Rose District. ShamROCK the Rose shuts down traffic to host a massive craft beer garden, local food trucks, live entertainment and 100 street vendors over the span of three blocks. Grab a sampling mug and make your way around the local brewers’ and distillers’ pop-up booths for up to four hours’ worth of tastings.
ShamROCK the 'Ville - Bartlesville
Find yourself energized in a sea of green when running the annual ShamROCK the ‘Ville 5K. Dress up in your quirkiest St. Patrick’s Day gear and compete for prizes as you race alongside green-clad participants throughout historic downtown Bartlesville.
Blue Dome's Irish Pub Crawl - Tulsa
Tulsa’s energetic Blue Dome Entertainment District turns a vibrant shade of green every year when the streets are filled with thousands of spectators sporting the traditional color. Home of longtime Irish favorites Arnie’s Bar, Woody’s Corner Bar and James E. McNellie’s Public House (check out their OKC outpost as well) within a few blocks of one another, festival-goers will be treated to enough Irish beer and fare to feed a small army.
Hosted throughout the entire St. Patrick’s Day weekend from morning until night, visitors can pub crawl, browse fun local retailers or enjoy live music all weekend long into the early morning hours. Wander through the five-block radius in the Blue Dome District that will be blocked from traffic and watch as the party spills out onto the streets with tent staging areas and bar stands with rooftop seating. Keep an eye out for McNellie’s semi-truck featuring 30 taps and over 100 kegs of beer.
Arnie's Bar - Tulsa
No Tulsa celebration of St. Patrick’s would be complete without a visit to Arnie’s Bar, T-Town’s most famous Irish-themed pub. With no cover charge all weekend, live music scheduled each evening and everything from Guinness and Harp, to Smithwick’s and Killian’s Irish Red on tap, Arnie’s is the place to be. While celebrating at this cozy hangout, don’t forget to try your hand at a game of shuffleboard, throw a round of darts with friends or make your way to the outdoor patio. As an added bonus, all St. Patrick’s Day beer is served in a 22 oz. souvenir cup.
Kilkenny's Irish Pub - Tulsa
Head over to Tulsa’s trendy Cherry Street area for one of the city’s biggest St. Patrick’s Day blowouts at Kilkenny’s Irish Pub. Dine on Irish fare such as beer-battered fish and chips, corned beef and cabbage or potato soup, before heading outside to join the festivities under Kilkenny’s party tent. Live music, food specials and vendors get the celebration started, while pints of Guinness, glasses of single malt scotch and shots of Irish whiskey keep it going until 2am.
Ghost Town Road Trip - Shamrock
Although there is no official St. Paddy's party in the almost abandoned town of Shamrock, this unique town deserves a celebration on St. Patrick's Day. Take a road trip to this eerie ghost town, which boomed around 1913 when the Cushing Oil Field was discovered. Oilfield workers created a rowdy town full of saloons, gambling halls, hotels and brothels before they began to move along to new boomtowns in the mid-1920s. Shamrock made headlines again in 1932 when famous outlaw Pretty Boy Floyd robbed the local bank. Visit the sleepy town to see the old-fashioned businesses and Irish customs left behind almost a century ago.
No matter which St. Patrick’s Day celebration you choose to attend, if you decide to toast your inner Irishman with an alcoholic beverage, please remember to celebrate responsibly. Sláinte!
