This St. Patrick’s Day, Whidbey Island residents are in luck. Several community events are celebrating Celtic heritage with food, music and plenty of beer.
All but one of the events are on Friday, March 17.
The All Sports Bar and Grill in Oak Harbor will be serving corned beef and cabbage starting at 11 a.m. while supplies last.
Join the Oak Harbor’s Irish Wildlife Society on a pub crawl starting at noon and continuing until the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade at 4:30 p.m.. The crawl will begin at the Oak Harbor Cafe and then travel to China Harbor, Rustica, the Tipsy Jellyfish, Noe Jose, Sweet Rice and Orlando’s BBQ. There is no cost to attend the pub crawl. For questions, please contact Sandi at 360-675-1306.
The 45th annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in Oak Harbor starts at 4:30 p.m. Watch the parade along Pionner Way and kiss the Blarney Stone located at the bottom of Ireland Street. Immediately following the parade, there will be music, entertainment and a corned beef and cabbage dinner at the American Legion Hall. Children are welcome and the cost is $15 per plate.
The Shifty Sailors are hosting their 16th annual St. Paddy’s Bash at 5 p.m. at the Coupeville Rec Hall. Musical performances by the Shifty Sailors and Eclectically Celtic, featuring sea songs, Irish standards and fiddle tunes, begin at 5:30 p.m. The ticket price of $40 includes a corned beef and cabbage dinner and two beverage tickets.
The Sea Notes, featuring vocalist Valetta Faye, are performing from 6:30-8:30 p.m at Orlando’s Bar Southern BBQ in Oak Harbor. There is no cover charge and all are welcome.
Wandering Trail Tours will be running a bus shuttle throughout Oak Harbor for all St. Patrick’s Day festivities. The shuttle starts around 5 p.m. after the parade and runs until 11 p.m. Space is limited. Book a reservation at wanderingtrailtours.com or contact Elizabeth at info@wanderingtours.com for more information.
On the South End, Bayview Hall is celebrating Celtic heritage and local community with festivities, refreshments and live musical offerings from multiple acts. Nick Toombs, aka DJ Hallpass, starts off the night at 6. p.m. with a solo guitar set and original music. At 7 p.m. Celia Farran presents “Celtic Myth & Spirit: A Delightfully Playful & Magical Musical Journey of Celtic Spirit.” Celia is a singer/songwriter and comedian. More info is available at celiaonline.com.
At 8:30 p.m., Nathaniel Talbot will be joined by Keegan Harshman on bass, Mickey Grimm on drums and special guest Lincoln Crockett on mandolin. At 10:30 p.m., DJ Hallpass will keep the party going with an old school vinyl DJ set.
And then on Saturday, March 18, Double Bluff Brewing in Langley is hosting a St. Patrick’s Day event from noon to 8 p.m. The event will feature Irish red ale and stout on tap, as well as traditional Irish food catered by Ikaika Bistro. From 3-4:30 p.m. Talia Toni Marcus will play the Irish fiddle. From 5-7 p.m. Leah Tussing will perform with Jim Barnes on keyboard. People are encouraged to wear green and write an Irish limerick to enter into a prize drawing. This a family- and dog-friendly event.