5 Ways to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day 2018 in Honolulu

There are lots of great ways to celebrate St. Paddy’s right here in Honolulu—take it from an Irish girl!

By Bridget Kitson

Photo: Courtesy of the Friends of St. Patrick Hawai‘i

Waikīkī Parade

The 51st Annual Waikīkī St. Patrick’s Day Parade, sponsored by The Friends of St. Patrick, will start at noon in front of Fort DeRussy. Marching bands, military groups, community organizations and colorful St. Paddy’s Day floats will make their way through Waikīkī, down Kalākaua Avenue to Kapiʻolani Park. The parade is expected to last around 90 minutes, but stick around for more live music and food at the park afterwards.

Free, noon, parade goes along Kalākaua Avenue from Fort DeRussy to Kapiʻolani Park, fosphawaii.ning.com/page/parade

Waikīkī Irish Pubs

Photo: Courtesy of Kelley O’Neil’s



If you find yourself hanging around Waikīkī after the parade and you want to keep the party going, head to Kelley O’Neil’s or the Irish Rose Saloon. Get in the spirit with some live Irish music from Celtic Waves and $4 Killian’s Irish Stout at Kelley’s, and classic rock covers from Elephant at Irish Rose.

Irish Rose Saloon, 478 ‘Ena Road, irishpubshawaii.com/irish-rose-saloon

Kelley O’Neil’s, 311 Lewers St., irishpubshawaii.com/kelley-oneils

Salt Bar Crawl and Block Party

Photo: Courtesy of Salt at Our Kakaʻako



From 3 p.m. until the bars close at 2 a.m., the party at Salt at Our Kakaʻako will be in full swing. There will be multiple beer gardens where you can grab a brew and get a bite to eat, or you can get in on the bar crawl which includes Village Bottle Shop & Tasting Room, Moku Kitchen, The Boiling Crab, Pitch Sports Bar and Bevy. You can also catch live music starting at 5 p.m. with artists Mike Lewis and Kit, and DJ Romeo Valentine at 7 p.m. Stop by the information booth to win prizes from featured Salt at Our Kakaʻako merchants.

Free, 3 p.m., Salt at Our Kakaʻako, 691 Auahi St., ourkakaako.com/events

Murphy’s Lunch and Keiki Fair

The party starts early in Chinatown. Murphy’s Bar & Grill will be serving lunch starting at 11 a.m., both in the restaurant and at booths in the parking lot across the street. Enjoy a hearty meal such as corned beef with cabbage, fish and chips, oysters and more, and indulge in some sweet treats such as Bailey’s cheesecake or bread pudding with Irish whiskey sauce. You can feel good about getting your fill too, because for every pound of corned beef sold throughout the week, Murphy’s will donate $2 to the Hawaiʻi Children’s Cancer Foundation.

To avoid a pinch, you can pick up something festive and green in honor of St. Paddy’s at one of the booths selling T-shirts and other souvenirs.

From noon to 3 p.m., the Keiki Fair features fun stuff for the little ones such as storytelling, face painting, balloons, crafts and more.

11 a.m., Murphy’s Bar & Grill, 2 Merchant St., murphyshawaii.com/st-patricks-day

PHOTO: DAVID CROXFORd

Murphy’s Block Party

At 4 p.m., Nuʻuanu Avenue and Merchant Street will be blocked off to make room for one of the biggest St. Patrick’s Day parties on the island. Expect beverage booths, live DJs, music and dancing. All ages are allowed to attend, but it’s recommended you leave the little ones at home as the block party gets pretty crowded and crazy. There will be ATMs set up around the event, but you can save yourself from those ATM fees by pulling out some cash beforehand.

Free, 4 p.m., Corner of Nuʻuanu Avenue and Merchant Street, murphyshawaii.com/st-patricks-day

Transportation and Parking

If your St. Patrick’s Day plans include the time-honored Irish tradition of drinking, then make sure you secure a safe way home. Uber and Lyft are great options if you don’t have a designated driver, or you don’t want to waste time or money on parking. You can also catch the 9, 20 or 42 bus into Downtown if you’re coming from Waikīkī.

If you do find yourself in need of a parking spot in Downtown or Chinatown, there is metered street parking, Harbor Court parking on the corner of Bethel Street and Nimitz Highway, the Walmart parking lot between King and Hotel streets and Marks Garage, with entrance on Chaplain Lane between Nuʻuanu Avenue and Bethel Street. Consider arriving early for the festivities since parking is sure to fill up fast.