Especial Dublin
St Patrick's Festival 2027 in Dublin: Dates, Parade Route and Where to Watch
Where you stand at Dublin's St Patrick's Day parade makes the day, and a grandstand seat is a judgement call. The quieter festival days are the alternative if you would rather miss the crush.
Por Julien AubertThe Dublin between the postcards
The parade comes down O'Connell Street under the Spire on Wednesday 17 March 2027, with carnival puppets and marching bands moving between the barriers. The festival around it starts on Saturday 13 March.
Dates for 2027
St. Patrick's Festival runs from Saturday 13 until Wednesday 17 March, and the National St. Patrick's Day Parade is on the last day. The parade is one day of five. Music, street theatre, dance, comedy and craft workshops fill the rest.
The event-by-event schedule comes out in January. Book a bed before then if you need one, but wait for the schedule before you plan around a particular show.
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The parade route
The parade forms up at Parnell Square, comes down O'Connell Street and crosses O'Connell Bridge. The route is the same every year, so you can pick your spot long before the programme appears.
Where to stand
Street viewing is free and unticketed. You turn up and find a gap at the barrier, and the earlier you get there the closer in you will be.
Grandstand seats along the route are sold separately and there are not many of them. If you want to sit, book well ahead.
There is also a Relaxed Parade Space for anyone who needs a calmer place to watch from. Places are allocated by lottery rather than sold, so you apply for one.
On 17 March the centre of Dublin is packed solid from late morning. If dense crowds are not for you, skip the parade day and use the earlier days instead.
Beyond the parade
Fire performances run on the first two days, 13 and 14 March. There are family hubs at Wood Quay, and the craft workshops are the easiest part of the programme to do with children.
With one day and no appetite for the crush, take the Saturday or the Sunday. You get the street theatre and the music with room to move, and you can still walk the parade route in daylight.
New Year at Dublin Castle
If your trip lands sooner, New Year's Festival Dublin runs from 30 December 2026 until 1 January 2027, centred on Dublin Castle and Meeting House Square. The Countdown Concert at the Castle on New Year's Eve is ticketed and standing.
There is also an early Midnight Moment at 4 p.m. that evening for anyone who does not want a midnight finish. A free music trail plays across city venues through the three days, and New Year's Day brings a free family concert at the Castle from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
TradFest and the film festival
TradFest runs from Wednesday 20 until Sunday 24 January, and the free sessions in Temple Bar pubs and hotels are the reason to go. They are un-ticketed and standing, so you walk in, but the pubs fill early. The ticketed concerts in St Patrick's Cathedral and the Round Room at the Mansion House have reserved seating, so book those ahead. It is all indoors and central, and an evening asks nothing more than a walk between pubs and halls.
Dublin International Film Festival is on from Thursday 18 until Sunday 28 February, spread across city-centre cinemas. The hub is the Light House Cinema in Smithfield, where Irish films premiere. A single screening is €14.
The horse show in August
Dublin Horse Show runs from Wednesday 4 until Sunday 8 August at the RDS in Ballsbridge, about a 20-minute walk from the city centre. The Rolex Grand Prix and the Nations' Cup of Ireland fall on separate days of the five-day run.
Tickets are sold per day, and children of four and under go in free. Main-arena seating is a separate ticket from general admission, and the seated season passes go early, so decide when you book whether you want to sit over the jumping. Allow a full day, as there is a large trade and shopping area on the grounds as well as the competition.
Booking and crowds
Hotel rates peak across the whole parade weekend, so book as early as you can if you want to be in Dublin in mid-March. The street itself needs no planning. The grandstand seats and the Relaxed Parade Space are the only parts you have to arrange in advance. See the Dublin guide and the Dublin hotel search.
Antes de ir
When is St Patrick's Festival 2027 in Dublin?
It runs from Saturday 13 to Wednesday 17 March 2027, with the National St. Patrick's Day Parade on the last day, 17 March. The event-by-event schedule comes out in January 2027.
Do you need a ticket to watch the parade?
No. Watching from the street is free and unticketed, so a group of any size can turn up. Grandstand seats along the route are sold separately and in limited numbers.
What route does the parade follow?
It forms up at Parnell Square, comes down O'Connell Street and crosses O'Connell Bridge. The route is the same every year, so you can pick a spot in advance.
Is there a quieter place to watch?
There is a Relaxed Parade Space for visitors who need a calmer viewing area. You apply for a place instead of buying one, and a lottery decides who gets in.
What else is on besides the parade?
Music, street theatre, dance, comedy and craft workshops run across the festival, with family hubs at Wood Quay and fire performances on the first two days, 13 and 14 March.
