Bacon and cabbage
Ireland
Sliced back bacon boiled with cabbage and served with potatoes and often a white parsley sauce. It is the dish most tied to Ireland, and the base of the American corned beef version.
Source: Bacon and cabbage.
St Patrick's Day is Wednesday 17 March 2027. St Patrick's Day, 17 March, is Ireland's national feast day and is marked in Irish communities around the world. Lent's limits on eating and drinking are lifted for the day, so the table runs to bacon and cabbage, colcannon and a pint of stout, with corned beef and cabbage as the Irish-American version.
Source: Saint Patrick's Day.
Also known as Saint Patrick's Day, Feast of Saint Patrick, Lá Fhéile Pádraig, Paddy's Day.
What people eat for St Patrick's Day
Corned beef and cabbage
United States
The Irish-American stand-in for bacon and cabbage, eaten on 17 March across North America. Irish immigrants in the late 19th century used corned beef in place of bacon.
Source: Corned beef.
Colcannon
Ireland
Mashed potatoes mixed with cabbage or kale, a traditional Irish dish that is a favourite on 17 March.
Source: Colcannon.
Stout
Ireland
A dark ale and the drink most tied to the day in Ireland, where breweries prepare for the demand months ahead.
Source: Saint Patrick's Day.
Irish whiskey and cider
Ireland
Alongside stout, whiskey and cider are the other drinks that have become part of the celebrations, once the Lenten limits are lifted.
Source: Saint Patrick's Day.
St Patrick's Day food experiences to book
Where to celebrate it 1
17 Mar 2027Expected
Savannah St. Patrick's Day Parade
Savannah, Georgia
Parade and Irish heritage events
Nothing matches those filters here. or try the festival finder.
Our city guides where it is celebrated
St Patrick's Day dates
| Year | When |
|---|---|
| 2027 | Wednesday 17 March 2027 |
| 2028 | Friday 17 March 2028 |
| 2029 | Saturday 17 March 2029 |
| 2030 | Sunday 17 March 2030 |
More holidays
Every holiday and what people eatFood holidaysFood festival calendar