Sunday, March 17th will mark St Patrick’s Day, which commemorates Ireland’s patron saint and, more broadly, Irish culture and heritage all around the world. 

Generally speaking, celebrations won’t be as widespread in Germany as in some other countries but many places will still offer a number of Paddy’s Day-themed events on Sunday, or in some cases, even in the days leading up to it. And if in doubt, find an Irish pub! 

Munich

Arguably, Germany’s largest St Patrick’s Day event takes place in the Bavarian capital of Munich with a two-day celebration. 

The Irish community in Munich have celebrated the weekend before the Irish national holiday since 1996 and this year will be no different. 

Munich’s Irish (and other nationalities who love the tradition) will be celebrating on March 16th and 17th with a parade between Siegestor and Odeonsplatz and a two-day open-air festival.

St. Patricks Day bei strahlendem Sonnenschein #München pic.twitter.com/7mGaq7gV8f

— Petra (@Herrmaennchen) March 12, 2017

Frankfurt and surrounding area

O’Reilly’s Frankfurt, known for its Irish events, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year with a special St. Patrick’s Day party on Sunday. Highlights include the launch of their new premium whiskey and a weekend of live music, karaoke, traditional Irish food and football coverage. There are special offers for punters and donations go to the children’s cancer ward at Frankfurt University Hospital. 

On Friday March 15th and Saturday the 16th, the Festungskeller Rüsselsheim is hosting an Irish Weekend. Expect traditional music, dancing and food. 

If you love Irish traditional music, check out the Irish Heartbeat Tour on March 20th at the Frankfurter Hof in Mainz. The Irish Heartbeat tour has been celebrating the Irish music scene for 35 years, especially around St Patrick’s Day. Artists such as Léda, Geraldine MacGowan, Kevin Griffin and Michael Coult as well as The Armagh Rhymers represent the diversity of Irish music, from traditional to innovative. 

READ ALSO: Irish in Germany – who are they and where do they live?

Berlin 

Berlin has some great Irish pubs that have plenty of events on for St Patrick’s Day, whether it’s Molly Malone’s, The Happy Pig or MacLaren’s Pub in Friedrichshain (which is modelled on the bar from How I Met Your Mother).

We’d also recommend checking out the Tipperary at Leopoldplatz, which has Guinness and Magners Cider on tap. Live music and Irish specialities will be on offer on Sunday. 

The Kilkenny Irish Pub at Hackescher Markt is a Berlin institution, proudly describing itself as the “largest and liveliest of Berlin’s many Irish pubs”. The rooms are decorated in a variety of styles, each representing a specific period of Irish history and culture.

North Rhine-Westphalia 

Whether in Cologne, Düsseldorf or Dortmund, there are plenty of Irish pubs in the western state to get stuck into. 

In Düsseldorf, the three pubs McLaughlins, Fatty’s and O’Reillys are fairly near each other so they should be easy to check out. McLaughlin’s is offering “Irish Music all day long” on March 17th.

In Greven in Münsterland there was a special event for St Patrick’s Day until 2019. But on March 16th, after a five-year break, the celebration of the ‘pipes and drums band’ Ems Highlander will start again. Appropriately, the organisers name their party “St Patrick’s Day Reloaded.” The dancers are Celtic Stepfire, live music comes from the Good Night Folks.