The Best Cities To Celebrate St Patrick’s Day

The Best Places for St Paddy’s
After two hard years plagued by the COVID-19 pandemic, St. Patrick’s Day will be back in a big way in 2022. But where travelers choose to celebrate can make all the difference. WalletHub recently compared 200 of the largest U.S. cities across 18 key metrics to determine the best places to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day without breaking the bank in 2022. The rankings are based on a total score on a 100-point scale and take into account four important categories, including St. Patrick’s Day traditions (50 points), costs (20 points), safety and accessibility (20 points) and weather (10 points). Factors considered include the share of Irish population, parties and festivals per capita, the average beer price, walkability and forecasted precipitation, among several others. Here are the 20 cities that fare the best this year.

20. Columbus, Ohio
Rounding out the top 20 this March, Columbus is tied for the fifth-best mark nationwide when it comes to the lowest average price for a St. Patrick’s Day party ticket and ranks seventh overall for costs, which also takes into account the average beer price, the lowest price of a three-star hotel and affordable four-plus-star Irish pubs and restaurants.

19. Orlando, Florida
The second-highest ranking Florida city for St. Patrick’s Day in 2022, Orlando ranks 20th nationwide for St. Paddy’s traditions and 36th for its holiday weather forecast. March visitors can enhance their visit by pairing a festive pub crawl with a trip to one of Central Florida’s world-renowned theme parks.

18. Boise, Idaho
Boise ranks 19th for St. Patrick’s Day traditions this spring and 18th overall ahead of the upcoming holiday. The North End’s oldest bar and restaurant, O’Michael’s Pub & Grill, is just one of the city’s many exceptional watering holes that will surely be rocking on March 17.

17. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Ranking second in the nation for the lowest average beer price behind only Brownsville, Texas, Milwaukee finished 24th for St. Patrick’s Day traditions and ranks 17th overall when it comes to the best U.S. city for a green-clad celebration this year.

16. Cincinnati, Ohio
Budget-conscious travelers take note. One of three Ohio cities to crack the top 20 for St. Patrick’s Day 2022, Cincinnati ranks an impressive ninth for costs, which is the second-best mark of any city in the top 20 trailing only nearby Columbus.

15. Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Tying for the fifth-highest percentage of Irish population, Cedar Rapids is propelled into the top 15 on the strength of its solid rankings for both St. Patrick’s Day traditions (25th) and safety and accessibility (30th). The latter category considers the percentage of residents who are fully vaccinated, the crime rate, walkability, traffic congestion and DUI-related fatalities in motor vehicle crashes per capita.

14. Henderson, Nevada
To the southeast of electric Las Vegas, Henderson doesn’t rank any worse than 67th in either of the four categories that WalletHub analyzed and ranks 43rd or better in three of the key areas. The city’s proximity to Sin City is an added bonus.

13. Cleveland, Ohio
Ranking 10th in terms of St. Patrick’s Day traditions and a respectable 44th for costs, Cleveland is one of the best cities Americans can revel in this holiday. Here, lively pubs, parades and St. Paddy’s festivities will be easy to come by in 2022.

12. Worcester, Massachusetts
While it isn’t the highest-ranking destination in Massachusetts, Worcester ranks firmly inside of the top 20 thanks to boasting the fourth-highest percentage of Irish population. The city also ranks 11th overall for St. Patrick’s Day traditions this year.

11. New York, New York
Ranking 11th overall for St. Patrick’s Day 2022, New York City is surprisingly only third-best in its own state. Cost is a big factor, however, as New York has the highest average beer price of the 200 cities analyzed and ranks a lowly 197th overall for costs.

10. Buffalo, New York
Edging out the Big Apple, Buffalo ranks seventh nationwide when it comes to St. Patrick’s Day traditions and finished 39 spots better than NYC when it comes to holiday costs, making it a wallet-friendly alternative for visitors to the Empire State this spring.

9. Yonkers, New York
Located along the Hudson River just north of New York City, Yonkers cracks the top 10 on the strength of its St. Patrick’s Day traditions (16th) and safety and accessibility (12th) this time of year.

8. Tampa, Florida
Tampa ranks second in the all-important category of St. Patrick’s Day traditions, which counts for half of the 100-point scale. What’s more, Tampa is tied with New York City for the most Irish pubs and restaurants per capita.

7. Naperville, Illinois
A western suburb of Chicago with an overall population nearing 150,000, Naperville boasts the highest percentage of Irish population of any city and subsequently ranks 12th overall for St. Patrick’s Day traditions.

6. Reno, Nevada
Reno rises all the way to sixth thanks to its unparalleled consistency. The Nevada city doesn’t rank any lower than 36th in either of the four important categories for a memorable St. Patrick’s Day celebration and even finished 27th in terms of St. Paddy’s traditions.

5. San Francisco, California
The highest-ranking city on the West Coast, San Francisco has the fifth-most St. Patrick’s Day parties and festivals per capita and ranks third for the lowest average price for a St. Patrick’s Day party ticket, trailing only Birmingham, Alabama and Knoxville, Tennessee.

4. Chicago, Illinois
A St. Patrick’s Day celebration in the Midwest doesn’t get any better than Chicago. After all, the Windy City ranks fourth among the 200 cities WalletHub looked at for the most Irish pubs and restaurants per capita and fourth overall for St. Patrick’s Day traditions.

3. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is home to the third-highest percentage of Irish population and ranks 20th for St. Patrick’s Day weather, which is better than any other city in the top 20 for 2022. The category considers forecasted versus average temperature as well as forecasted precipitations for  March 17.

2. Boston, Massachusetts
No surprises here. Boston once again ranks toward the top for St. Patrick’s Day revelry, besting all other U.S. cities when it comes to March 17 traditions. Boston is tied with Scottsdale, Arizona and Dayton, Ohio for the most St. Patrick’s Day parties and festivals per capita and is also tied for the fewest DUI-related fatalities per capita.

1. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Boasting the fifth-most Irish pubs and restaurants per capita and tying for the fewest DUI-related fatalities per capita, Philadelphia is the best city in the country for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration in 2022, according to WalletHub. Philly’s promising weather forecast also doesn’t hurt as conditions are expected to be both dry and warm on March 17.