Start your celebrating early and carry on through the weekend with a wide variety of St. Paddy’s Day events to please all the leprechauns in your life!
SaPaDaPaSo Parade
Downtown Cedar Rapids — Thu., Mar. 17 at 1 p.m.
This year is the 41st annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in Cedar Rapids, hosted by the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade Society. The route runs along Second and Third Avenues and Second and Sixth Streets. Each year boasts 100 entries, and being on a weekday afternoon never seems to keep families from coming out in full force. Falling during spring break this year for Cedar Rapids and surrounding communities, it’s bound to be even more raucous than usual.
St. Paddy’s Day Beer Floats
New Bo City Market — Thu., Mar. 17 at 2 p.m.
Once you’ve seen your fill of floats, head over to New Bo City Market for floats of a different flavor. New Bo Beer and Wine is partnering with Nelson’s Ice Cream (out of St. Paul, Minn.) to explore the possibilities of floats made with a variety of local stouts, including Millstream’s Back Road Stout, Lion Bridge Brewing Company’s Olde No. 17 and Backpocket Brewing’s Wake Up Iowa. The event runs until 6 p.m.
Paddy Mac
Ramsey’s Wine Bistro — Thu., Mar. 17 at 5 p.m.
Husband and wife team Gil and Patsy McNaughton make up the band Paddy Mac, and they’ve got a St. Patrick’s Day show at Ramsey’s Wine Bistro in Marion (1120 Seventh Ave, Ste. A). The duo will be performing traditional Irish tunes in both English and Gaelic. The show ends at 8 p.m. Ramsey’s will also be having Irish food and drink on special all day long.
The Beggarmen
Coralville Center for the Performing Arts — Thu., Mar. 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Long-time local favorites The Beggarmen will be playing their St. Patrick’s Day show at the CCPA this year. Specialty drinks and hors d’oeuvres will add to the ambiance. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students (aged 13–college) and $5 for children 12 and under.
Honkey Tonk Samurai
The Mill — Thu., Mar. 17 at 8 p.m.
Ben Schmidt, Rich Wagor and Matt Bernemann will be coming together for a special St. Patrick’s Day performance at The Mill under the Honkey Tonk Samurai moniker, promising, according to the event page, to bring some “stank and twang” to the holiday. The Mill will also be running seasonally appropriate food and drink specials, including an $8 bowl of corned beef and cabbage (also available as a $4 cup).
Dunlavin Green
Uptown Bill’s — Sat., Mar. 19 at 7 p.m.
Guy Drollinger, David Hicks, Kathy Maxey and Larry Mossman are Dunlavin Green, an Irish band that will be filling Uptown Bill’s with traditional jigs and reels on Saturday night. Suggested cover of $5–10.
The Beggarmen with Champagne Academy of Irish Dance
2 Dogs Pub — Sat., Mar. 19 at 7:30 p.m.
The Beggarmen are back, with a second show — this time at 2 Dogs Pub in Iowa City (1705 S. First Ave). They’ll be joined by the Irish dancers of the Champagne Academy. 2 Dogs will also have $3 Guinness and $6.99 corned beef and cabbage.
