St. Patrick’s Day Party Ideas for Adults

Harness the luck of the Irish with St. Patrick’s day party ideas that are for the grownups. With fun decorations, activities, food and drinks, this party theme is filled with green and gold colors, rainbows, and shamrocks. This is perfect for a house party or a neighborhood block party.

several adult hands lifting beer mugs in cheers.

I think St. Patrick’s Day is one of the most fun holiday celebrations, right up there with Mardi Gras! It’s a time to throw a party just for the pure pleasure of having food & cocktails with friends, and it’s acceptable to get a little ‘cheeky’ with decorations and details!  

Celebrate the luck of the Irish on March 17 or plan a party for the Saturday before or after the actual date so that guests can recover the next day.

I’ve put together some ideas that you can implement for your own adult theme party at home. With lots of green, rainbows, and a “pot of gold” your guests are sure to have a good time.

overhead view of green macarons and shamrock themed petit fours on white plates with gold coins on table.

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Fun Party Ideas

Send digital invitations about 3 weeks ahead. This is a casual holiday so there’s no need to send paper invites through the mail.

Dress for the theme. This is one theme party where guests will want to dress for the occasion, and there’s lots of leeway. Go over the top with rainbow colors, leprecaun hats, and green and gold beaded necklaces, or keep it simple with a stylish green or gold outfit.

Set up a photo booth with props and a backdrop. Have leprechaun hats, funny glasses, and green or red hair wigs. Hang green curtains for a backdrop, or a streamer rainbow.

Do a pub crawl at home or on your neighborhood block.

  • Set up a few different areas or rooms in your home where guests can visit. Each one has a different food and drink pairing. For example, serve Guinness and fish n’ chips in the dining room, have green jello shots with mini Reuben sandwiches in the kitchen, and have Irish coffee with green cupcakes in the living room. Or, serve a different Irish beer in each space.
  • This idea works great for a neighborhood block party too. Just follow the same idea, going from house to house. Don’t drink and drive, though!

Host an Irish Whiskey tasting and include some of the popular Irish brands like Jameson, Bushmills, and Paddy.

Relive your college days and play beer pong.

Keep it classy with an Irish themed dinner party.

drawstring muslin bag with felt clovers inside, laying on green turn grass.

Play the Lucky Number game for fun prizes. The number 7 is lucky for St. Patricks day. Add it to a grab bag to see who draws the lucky number. You can have several in the bag or do several rounds. Give out silly gifts like shot glass necklaces or gold coin chocolates.

Have a scavenger hunt to “find the leprechaun” or the “pot of gold.” This takes some pre-planning but it’s a terrific idea for a neighborhood party.

Play some Irish trivia games. You can create questions by doing a simple web search or using Wikipedia to curate fun facts.

Make a playlist of Irish bands. Some of the most popular ones are U2, The Cranberries, Flogging Molly, Van Morrison, The Strypes, the Dubliners, Clannad, the Corrs, Boomtown Rats, Westlife, Snow Patrol, Hozier, Celtic Women. 

Learn how to Riverdance or dance an Irish jig. Have a contest to see who can do it the best, or funniest.

green shamrock cookies on gold tray with small drawstring bags to put them in.

Give party favors of muslin bags filled with chocolate coins or shamrock cookies. Pile them up in a pot near the door so guests can grab one before they leave.

green drinks on white round tray surrounded by gold coins.

Décor

Decorate with green table cloth, and gold coins. Here’s how to incorporate the coins in creative ways.

  • Scatter the coins down the center like a table runner.
  • Fill different sizes and shapes of clear jars and bowls with the gold coins.
  • Put the coins in small pots down the center of the table.

Use turf grass as a table cover to mimic the rolling green hills of the Emerald Coast and Irish countryside.

gold planter filled with green and white flowering plant on table for centerpiece.

Use green plants or terrariums as a centerpiece instead of colorful flowers.

Hang an Irish flag banner around the party spaces.

st. patrick's day themed printable circles to top cupcakes with.

Print out these St. Patrick’s day tags designed by TomKat Studio and attach them to toothpicks to top cupcakes or mini sandwiches with.

Print and frame signs with witty sayings. Here are some good ones.

  • Kiss Me I’m Irish
  • Top o’ the Mornin’ to Ya
  • Luck o’ the Irish 
  • Shamrock and Roll!
  • Irish You a Happy St. Patrick’s Day
  • Eat, Drink, and be Irish
  • The Leprechauns Made Me Do It
  • We’re All Irish Tonight!
map of Ireland.

Frame a small version or hang a large print of the map of Ireland for a chic decoration in your party space.

rainbow colored balloons floating in a row.

Decorate with balloons. Fill them with helium and let them float on the ceiling or tied to tables. Or, make a rainbow balloon arch for a photo area, near the entrance, or over a buffet table.

Set up your cocktail bar with rainbow colored streamers hanging as a backdrop, and place a sign that reads, “Pot of Gold at the end of the Rainbow.” Have some glasses already filled and easy to grab.

Mini charcuterie board with Irish cheeses and cured meat.

Food

Serve a buffet of bite-sized appetizers that are a spin off of traditional Irish favorites, or recipes that incorporate popular foods grown in Ireland, such as potatoes, carrots, onions, curly kale, cabbage and tomatoes.

Serve Green Themed Appetizers

Set Up a Food Bar

For heartier fare, set up a buffet with crock pots and chafing dishes and serve some classics.

  • Beef stew or Irish stew
  • Corned beef and cabbage
  • Colcannon – a mashed potatoes and cabbage dish
  • Irish Soda bread
green cocktail in champagne coupes on white surface and mirrored tray.
champagne & Midori cocktail
coffee drink with whipped cream on top and grated chocolate garnish, on silver tray.
Irish coffee drink

Drinks

Wash it all down with a “Pot of Gold” cocktail with flecks of real gold from Goldschlager. 

green tinted mini cheesecakes garnished with lime, on marble and wood board, overhead.
mini lime cheesecakes
green shamrock cutout cookies on marble backdrop.
shamrock shortbread cookies

Dessert

Create a dessert table filled with green desserts or ones using the fruits of Ireland, including apples, pears, plums, blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries.

Now you have a whole array of St. Patrick’s day party ideas that are great for adults. Pick and choose your favorites for a fun and festive party! And check out these St. Patty ideas for kids if you have little ones.

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