Irish Themed Party Ideas

Irish flag.

Don't wait for St. Patrick's Day to celebrate Irish culture and food. Throw an Irish-themed party any time you like. With just a few creative ideas, your Irish party can be fun, lively, and a huge success.

Lively Location

Dancing leprechaun.

Decide where to hold the party. If you have the budget, rent a dining or banquet hall. Consider an office building basement or warehouse, if you have access to one. Or, host the bash at home. Once you've decided on a location, deck it out with themed decorations: green banners, balloons, streamers and tissue paper garlands; paper cutouts of dancing leprechauns, leprechaun hats, shamrocks and pots of gold; and green lights. Play Irish music and invite guests to wear at least one green article of clothing.

Evening Entertainment

Gold coins.

Put on a movie featuring Irish actors or set in Ireland. Play a game of Pin the Shamrock on the Leprechaun. Play trivia with facts about Ireland. Hold a scavenger hunt in which participants search for items you hid beforehand: plastic necklaces of green beads, "gold" (chocolate coins wrapped in yellow foil), plastic four-leaf clovers and shamrocks and other such items. Hire an dance instructor to teach everyone an Irish jig.

Food and Drink

Green drink.

For snacks, put out bowls of green jelly beans and M&Ms, and dip platters of chips with green salsa and guacamole. For beverages, serve green beer or mix a green cocktail. If you're keeping things non-alcoholic, make a refreshing punch with pineapple juice, ginger ale and lime sherbet, or put a few drops of green food coloring in milk or milkshakes. For your main courses, fill the table with green food: Green pasta with pesto sauce; Green "french fries"--fried asparagus spears; and white pizza topped with green veggies. Dessert could be key lime pie, lime Jell-O, or baked goods spread with green icing.

References

• LittleShamrocks.com: Irish Party
• TheFunTimesGuide.com: Green Beer, Green Cocktails & Non-Alcoholic Drinks