A number of traditional Kansas City St. Patrick's Day events have been canceled again this year due to public health concerns, but that doesn’t mean that St. Patrick’s Day has to go completely ignored!
See below for some local bars/restaurants that are having specials to celebrate the day while following safety protocols, and for some fun things that you can do as a family to make the holiday as fun and memorable as previous years!
I have also created a list of local events that usually happen but have been cancelled this year in case you were planning to attend. There’s nothing worse than getting ready and showing up to an event that’s no longer happening, so I’m hoping to save you some trouble!
Events:
**Please call ahead before attending events to make sure it is still happening, as it is subject to change last-minute
KC St. Patrick’s Day Parade: Once again, this year the traditional parade has been cancelled due to COVID-19, however, the local FOX4 News is highlighting the families and organizations that have been the heart and soul of the parade for more than 40 year. Viewers can watch the special from 9-10 a.m. on March 17 on FOX4 or the live stream on the FOX4 website.
The Brewkery: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day so enjoy house-made biscuits and gravy at The Brewkery along with drink specials on Saturday, March 14. Open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Casual Animal Brewing Co.: Beginning Saturday, March 14 at 11 a.m., there’s a Casual Snake Saturday chill out with a new batch of Branch out Nitro Stout. Drinkers get a FREE bowl of Lucky Charms (while supplies last) with their first beer purchased.
Cinder Block Brewery: On Saturday, March 14, doors open at 11 a.m. Irish beer brats are on the menu along with specials for Jameson, Baileys and Irish car bombs. Don’t forget $7 for a souvenir cup.
O’Malley’s Pub: If you find yourself in Weston, the only real place to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day is at O’Malley’s Pub. Of course, they have celebrations on Friday, March 13, Saturday, March 14 and Tuesday, March 17
Snake Saturday at the Iron District: While the Snake Saturday parade was canceled, several vendors at the Iron District (and other businesses in NKC) plan to be open Saturday, March 14. Circumstances around availability can change, so please check for vendor updates found on their website: https://www.irondistrictnorthkc.com
Stone Pillar Vineyard & Winery: Indulge in festive $6 Shamrock Slushies at this Olathe winery on Sunday, March 15 from noon to 3 p.m. They’re also offering a fun Leprechaun hunt in the vineyard!
Treats Unleashed: Stop by Treats Uleashed in Leawood between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 14 to get your pup a FREE St. Pet-rick’s Popsicle.
CANCELED: Brookside Warm Up Parade
CANCELED: Snake Saturday (North KC)
CANCELED: Emerald Isle Parade (Lee’s Summit)
CANCELED: Belton St. Patrick’s Day Parade
CANCELED: Shawnee St. Patrick’s Day Parade
CANCELED: Martin City St. Patrick’s Day Parade
CANCELED: KCK Public Library St. Patrick’s Day Crafts
CANCELED: St. Patrick’s Day at the Zoo
Family Activities
Tie-dye shirts
A fun way to get your kids excited for St. Patrick’s Day is to let them create a fun tie-dye shirt to wear. All you need is a white shirt (100% cotton is best as it holds the dye better) and some green shirt dye. It’s best to do it a day or two ahead of the holiday so the shirt can be dry and ready to wear. Check out this website for some fun pattern ideas and how-to’s!
Make Green Drinks
A fun kid-friendly alternative to the traditional green beer: green ginger ale (just add food coloring)! If the weather is warm, mix up some yummy root beer floats with green ice cream.
For a healthier (but just as good!) alternative, whip up a couple shamrock shakes or green smoothies!
Make Themed Treats
What holiday is complete without a couple of themed treats? You can make and easy boxed white cake and dye the batter green, or take it to the next level by making green cake pops! This website has a ton of fun and easy themed treat ideas that the kids will have fun helping you make and enjoy eating afterwards!
Go on a Gold Hunt
Since leprechauns are always searching for gold, gather your kids and send them on a gold hunt of their own. Hide several gold coins (you can use chocolate gold coins or toy coins) around a designated space, or even outside if the weather is nice.
Give each child a pail and send them on a hunt to find as much “gold” as possible in two minutes (you can set the time for longer if you have hidden a lot of coins or have a large area to search). When time is up, have the teams count the coins in their pails. The team with the most coins wins.
Shamrock Scramble
To prepare for the Shamrock Scramble game, cut out the shapes of four large shamrocks from green poster board (they should be large enough for a few kids to be able to stand on at once). Tape one shamrock in each corner of the room you’re playing in, or in designated spots outside.
Play some Irish music and have the kids dance while it plays. Stop the music randomly. When the music stops, the kids must scramble to stand on one of the shamrocks. The last player to get on a shamrock is out of the game. Play continues like this until only one player remains.
Gold Coin Toss
For this game, you’ll need a few Leprechaun pots (you can find these at dollar stores or craft stores, make your own, or simply use pails, bowls or overturned leprechaun hats). Place them on the floor and then draw a line a few feet away from the pots.
Have the kids stand behind the line and attempt to toss gold coins into the pots. Score a point for each time a player gets one in. You can then award prizes based on the amounts of points scored.
Lucky Bingo
Create your own Bingo cards with the word “Lucky” printed across the top instead of “Bingo”. In the other boxes, you can put clip art images or phrases associated with St. Patrick’s Day and Ireland. Make sure you mix up the order of the box fillers each time you create a new card.
Print several extra cards from which to cut out the boxes and place them in a leprechaun’s hat. Pull the boxes, one at a time, from the hat and call out what is printed on each one. Guests will mark their matching boxes with pieces of shamrock confetti (found in craft stores).
Players who get five matches in a row call out, “Lucky!” and win a prize.
Have a History Lesson
I always feel that cultural holidays are a perfect time to do some research on what the holiday is actually all about. Have a fun but informative history lesson to teach your children about the culture of Ireland and the history behind St. Patrick's Day.
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