Whether it’s already one of your customary holidays or not, St. Patrick’s Day presents the perfect opportunity to get the family together with fun activities.
In fact, to celebrate this verdant holiday, you can do much more than wear as much green as possible (to bring you luck and save yourself from leprechaun pinches) or enjoy countless bowls of Lucky Charms cereal.
To ensure a memorable holiday, try some of these fun St. Patrick's Day ideas below.
1. Find a pot of gold
A well-crafted treasure hunt is a blast for all ages. It can be as simple as finding hidden coins (metal or wrapped chocolate) around the house! However, if you have teens of driving age or can pair adult-and-child teams, you can up the ante with:
- Multiple locations throughout a neighborhood or town
- Riddle clues leading to each new location
- Gift card prizes of different amounts and types
Pro-tip: Be sure to purchase any gift card prizes from RaiseRight to earn money for your organization every time! With hundreds of popular brands to choose from, your pot of gold can include gift cards to fan-favorite retailers and restaurants like Amazon, Starbucks, McDonald’s, or Subway—now that’s lucky!
2. Plan an Irish meal
St. Patty’s Day isn’t all about green beer (although you can certainly add a few drops of food coloring to any light-colored beer and enjoy). Irish foods are hearty and warm, perfect for a sit-down family dinner or brunch. Try:
- Corned beef and cabbage—or a variation like sliders, eggrolls, or casserole
- Boxty potato pancakes
- Soda bread, with or without raisins
- Homemade Irish cream or shamrock shakes
- Shepherd’s or cottage pie
- Colcannon creamy mashed potatoes and greens
- Lamb or Guinness beef stew
Luckily, Irish cooking uses many easy-to-find ingredients, so you can stock up at your usual stores (and use your RaiseRight grocery gift cards while you’re at it).
3. Snap the green
How many shades of green can one discover? If your brood is old enough to snap pictures, set them loose to find as many green objects or shades as possible in your house.
From houseplants to crayons to broccoli, see what they can capture. Once the timer goes off, ask for a show and tell of the colors. See if they can pinpoint the difference between olive, kelly, and emerald green, or devise their own silly names.
4. Watch an Irish film
Visit the gorgeous countryside virtually, hear the music and some Gaelic words, or learn about Irish history from your living room with a movie night. For a younger audience, try:
- The Secret of Kells (2009)
- The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)
- Song of the Sea (2014)
- War of the Buttons (1994)
- Wolfwalkers (2020)
For a teen-to-adult range, check out:
- Waking Ned Devine (1998)
- Sing Street (2016)
- In America (2003)
- The Commitments (1991)
- The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
- The Guard (2011)
5. Tie-dye rainbows
Everyone loves the gold at the end of a rainbow—but everyone loves the rainbow, too! This year, you can integrate every color of the rainbow into your St. Patty’s Day celebrations with a tie-dye party.
Starting with white or light-colored t-shirts, bandanas, or scarves, you can create basic rings to complex designs with rubber bands and a tie-dye kit from a craft store like Michaels or JOANN.
Don’t skip the protective gloves and plastic sheeting to avoid spreading the rainbow too far!
6. Check out a parade
If you’re near a big city (or live in a town with an enthusiastic planning committee), gas up the car and take the family to the closest St. Patrick’s Day parade or festival. You’ll usually get to see:
- Pipe bands with bagpipers
- Irish step dancing
- A lot of green—masks, costumes, floats, and more
Note that some events may not fall exactly on St. Patrick’s Day itself.
7. Grow your green
If you haven’t gotten enough green yet, St. Patrick’s Day marks the perfect time to work on sprouting something new in the dirt. Consider:
- Planting shamrock clover
- Letting everyone in your family choose a vegetable, flower, or herb to grow this year
- Visiting Lowe’s, Home Depot, Menards, or Walmart for starter seeds, pots, or plants
8. Pavement rainbows
Activities for St. Patrick’s Day don’t have to be expensive or complicated. If you have a concrete driveway or sidewalks—and the weather is warm enough for outside time—grab some sidewalk chalk and get creative together.
Celebrate St. Patty's Day with RaiseRight
Whether you search for a pot of gold, enjoy Irish delicacies, or take in the wonder of a parade, celebrating St. Patrick’s Day as a family is a fantastic way to spend time and build memories together. And, while you’re planning your holiday weekend, you can also raise funds to support your nonprofit or community organization.
Transform how you fundraise or earn with a RaiseRight gift card fundraising program. Simply purchase and use gift cards (instead of cash, credit, or debit) for anything you buy throughout the year—from gas and groceries to entertainment and travel. RaiseRight partners with hundreds of brands that offer earnings anywhere from 1 to 20%—money that goes straight back to your fundraising program.
Learn more about how RaiseRight works, and check out our blog for more lifestyle inspiration, fundraising tips, and strategies.