South Carolina City Ranks As One Of The Best Places To Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day In 2024

One of the biggest party holidays of the year is fast approaching. March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day and you don’t have to be Irish to get in on the fun. Although, wearing something green certainly helps. So does being in the right place. If you can't get yourself to Dublin, there are plenty of cities here in the U.S. who go all out with their own traditions. One of them is in South Carolina.

The folks at WalletHub have just come out with their annual list of the Best U.S. Cities for St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations. The personal finance site rated 200 of the biggest cities in the nation on 15 key metrics pertaining to traditions, cost, safety & accessibility, and weather. The specific metrics include the number of Irish pubs and restaurants per capita, weather forecasts for March 17th, parades and parties, and the average price of a beer.

It's no surprise that the very Irish-American city of Boston ranks as the best place to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. However, while it comes in first for traditions, Boston is number 131 for weather and 132 for cost. More about weather in a bit. The best city in terms of cost is Madison, Wisconsin, and 20th overall.

Chicago, famous for dyeing its river green for the holiday, is second overall. The nearby city of Naperville, Illinois, has the highest percentage of Irish population in the United States, while Hialeah, Florida, has the lowest. New York, Chicago, Seattle, and Tampa have the most Irish pubs and restaurants per capita, while El Paso, Texas, has the fewest.

If you like sunshine and mild temperatures for your St. Patrick's Day, you don't have to look far. Columbia, South Carolina is number 14 overall but number one for weather on March 17th. Hey, nobody wants rain in their Guinness. The Palmetto State's capital city is just 90 minutes south of Charlotte (which is only 75th on the list) so maybe it's worth checking out. But remember to wear your green!