Boston takes St. Patrick's Day more seriously than almost anywhere else in the country. With 20% of residents claiming Irish heritage and a celebration tradition going back to 1737, the first recorded St. Patrick's Day in the United States, this is less of a holiday and more of a civic event.
St. Patrick's Day 2027 falls on Wednesday, March 17. The South Boston parade will be Sunday, March 14. The Dropkick Murphys will come home to MGM Music Hall at Fenway for their annual concert series. Tickets will sell out in hours.
Whether you are coming for the parade, the pubs, or to be in the room when the Murphys close with I'm Shipping Up to Boston, here is everything you need to know.
- South Boston St. Patrick's Day Parade: Sunday, March 14, 2027 at 1:00 PM
- St. Patrick's Day 5K Road Race: Sunday, March 14, 2027 at 12:00 PM
- St. Patrick's Day: Wednesday, March 17, 2027
- Dropkick Murphys at MGM Music Hall (expected): Thu-Sun, March 11-14, 2027
- Dropkick Murphys at House of Blues (expected): Wed, March 17, 2027
- Tickets on sale: Expected October 2026 at dropkickmurphys.com
The South Boston St. Patrick's Day Parade
More than 600,000 people line the route each year. That is not a typo. The South Boston St. Patrick's Day Parade is one of the oldest and largest in the United States, and the energy on parade day in Southie feels unlike anything else you will experience in a city.
The route starts at Broadway T Station on the Red Line and runs 3.3 miles through the heart of South Boston to Andrew Square. You will see bagpipers, Irish step dancers, military units, marching bands, floats, and pretty much every elected official in the state. The crowd starts forming early and the vibe stays genuinely festive all day.
How to get there
Take the Red Line to Broadway. Plan to arrive by 11:30 AM for a good spot. On parade day that station gets packed fast, so a lot of locals ride one stop further to South Station and walk 15 minutes up Broadway instead. Either way works.
Do not drive. South Boston closes streets for blocks around the route and finding parking is essentially impossible. The T is the only sensible option.
Pack layers and a waterproof jacket. March in Boston averages around 38 to 47 degrees and rain is common. Every single year half the crowd shows up underdressed and regrets it by noon. Bring cash because street food vendors and pubs usually prefer it on parade day.
Public drinking along the route is prohibited, so save the Guinness for the pubs.
Dropkick Murphys at Fenway
The Dropkick Murphys play Boston every St. Patrick's Day week without fail. It is one of the most electric concert experiences in the city and for a lot of people it is the whole reason for the trip.
2027 Concert Schedule (expected based on annual pattern)
MGM Music Hall at Fenway (around 5,000 capacity)
- Thursday, March 11
- Friday, March 12
- Saturday, March 13, including a 2:00 PM family charity matinee
- Sunday, March 14
House of Blues Boston (smaller, around 2,400 people, more intimate)
- Wednesday, March 17 on St. Patrick's Day itself
Official 2027 dates will be announced at dropkickmurphys.com/tour in October 2026. Sign up for the email list before then so you get the presale code.
The Saturday afternoon charity show
Every year the Murphys play a 2 PM matinee on Saturday at MGM Music Hall at reduced volume so families with kids can come. Each adult ticket covers two kids under 13. Proceeds go to the Claddagh Fund, the band's charitable foundation. If you are bringing family or just want a more breathable crowd, this is the one to get.
Getting tickets without getting burned
The Murphys are very direct about this: buy only through their official site. Shows sell out in one to two hours on general sale day. Resale prices run 200 to 400 percent over face value and there are known counterfeit ticket issues at the door.
Get on the email list at dropkickmurphys.com before October 2026. When the presale announcement comes, log in at 10 AM Boston time and get through checkout fast. If you miss it, check secondary markets but set a hard budget before you look.
What the show is actually like
The set covers their whole catalog. Rose Tattoo, Worker's Song, Tessie, The State of Massachusetts, a mid-show stretch of acoustic Irish folk songs, and then the punk energy comes back even harder. I'm Shipping Up to Boston closes every single show for the encore. When 5,000 Bostonians sing that chorus together, it is genuinely one of those you-had-to-be-there moments. Arrive at doors because the floor fills fast.
Free and Low-Cost Events
Celtic Bells at the JFK Presidential Library. A free family performance combining songs, poetry, and traditional Irish music that traces the story of Irish immigrants in America. Usually held the weekend before the parade. Registration opens on Eventbrite in January; search "Celtic Bells Boston 2027" when it goes up.
St. Patrick's Day 5K Road Race. Starts at noon on parade Sunday in South Boston. All proceeds go to the Boys and Girls Club of South Boston. You run the race, then you are already positioned for the parade start an hour later. Registration opens in January at runsignup.com.
Irish Heritage Trail
If you want more than just parade and pubs, the Irish Heritage Trail is a 3-mile self-guided walk connecting 16 monuments and historic buildings across Boston that tell the story of Irish Americans in the city. The route goes from the Rose Kennedy Rose Garden in the North End through Beacon Hill, Downtown Crossing, the South End, and Back Bay.
Adult tickets are $15, students and seniors $12, kids under 12 free with an adult. Guided tours are available at irishheritagetrail.com.
Best Irish Pubs in Boston
Good Irish pubs in Boston are not novelty bars. They are neighborhood institutions with regulars who have been coming for decades. The best ones pour Guinness properly (two-minute pour, no shortcuts), serve actual traditional food, and have live music that usually ends with the whole bar singing.
Downtown and Financial District
The Black Rose on State Street is the standout for traditional live Irish music, and they pour a solid Guinness. Ned Devine's nearby is great for parade night if you want a proper crowd. Mr. Dooley's on Broad Street has the best traditional Irish food downtown if you want shepherd's pie done right.
South Boston (Southie)
L Street Tavern is the one that was in Good Will Hunting and it is as much a neighborhood bar as it sounds. Locals, not tourists, mostly. Murphy's Law on Broadway is packed on parade day and feels like Southie at its most itself.
Fenway and Kenmore
Lansdowne Pub right next to Fenway Park is the natural pre- or post-concert stop. Live music most nights and it fills up fast after Dropkick Murphys shows let out.
TD Garden area
The Kinsale on Canal Street has live Irish bands and a good Guinness selection. J.J. Foley's is reportedly the oldest family-owned bar in Boston. McGreevy's is a classic sports bar with real Irish roots.
Cambridge and Somerville
The Druid in Inman Square does Irish seafood stew that is worth the Red Line ride. The Burren in Somerville has live traditional Irish music seven nights a week and weekend brunch that locals swear by.
Most pubs charge a $10 to $20 cover on parade weekend. If you arrive before noon many will let you in without one. Just ask.
Where to Stay
South Boston is the place to be. You can walk to the parade, walk home from the bars, and skip the midnight Uber surge entirely.
| Hotel | Walk to parade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Aloft Boston Seaport | 10 min | Modern rooms, good bar, Seaport views |
| Element Boston Seaport | 12 min | Extended stay format with kitchenette, good for groups |
| Yotel Boston | 15 min (Theatre District) | Budget-friendly, compact, well-designed |
| The Envoy Hotel | 8 min | Rooftop bar with harbor views, pricier but worth it |
A two-bedroom Airbnb in South Boston split among four people almost always beats hotel pricing on parade weekend, and having a kitchen for pre-parade breakfast is genuinely useful.
Book early. This is not optional. Rooms that cost $180 a night in November become $450 by March. If you see a rate you can live with in the fall, just book it.
Getting to Boston for Less
Logan Airport is three miles from downtown. The Silver Line bus from the terminal to South Station is free on the way out of the airport. From South Station the Red Line gets you to South Boston in one stop.
For flights, book 8 to 12 weeks out. That means January or early February for the parade weekend. Southwest, JetBlue, and Spirit consistently have the best Boston fares from Southeast cities. Flying into Boston midweek for a Thursday start and returning Monday or Tuesday after the holiday will almost always be cheaper than flying in and out on the weekend.
Set a Google Flights price alert for ATL to BOS in October 2026 when you are watching for Dropkick Murphys ticket announcements. The two tend to happen around the same time and so do the first sale fares.
Practical Notes
Wear green. You will be the only person not wearing it and you will notice.
Withdraw cash on Friday before the parade. ATMs in Southie run out on parade day, every single year.
The T stops at 1 AM. Know your way home before you need it. Surge pricing on Lyft and Uber hits hard after midnight on parade night.
Comfortable shoes are not optional. The parade route is 3.3 miles and you will probably walk another few miles between bars.
Weather: assume cold and rainy and be pleasantly surprised if it is not. A waterproof jacket and real layers are the difference between a great day and a miserable one.
