St. Patrick's Day Celebrations in Missoula, Montana

St. Patrick’s Day is a day when everyone becomes unofficially Irish. In Missoula where there is a large Gaelic community, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated by the entire city with music, green beer, ethnic cuisine, parties, and city activities. If you are planning on visiting Missoula for St. Patrick’s Day, or if you live in the city and want to know where to go for a little green fun, then you are in luck, as there are many activities both for adults and for families. Just be sure to wear green so you don’t get pinched.

Family Activities

If you are looking for family fun on St. Patrick’s Day then there are several places that you can look. First you can either plan on watching the St. Patrick’s Day parade, or you can put together costumes and/or a float and march along with the other Gaelic participants. The route traditionally begins at the X’s at the north end of Higgins in Downtown Missoula and travels along Higgins over the bridge to the Grizzly Grocery Store. It takes about two hours to march at parade pace through the designated course so make sure your family is up for this distance if you decide to participate. The route will be blocked from traffic and will be lined with on-lookers. For more information about time, themes, and parade participation please call (406) 626-4692. The parade time varies each year, so you will need to call ahead of time to know when and where to line up. If you don’t want to march in the parade, but would like to watch you can line up any where along the route. There are many food vendors and specialty shops along the route so you stop for a bite to eat before, during, or after the parade.

You can also visit the local public library for Celtic and Gaelic themed story times, activities, and books that will be available before, during, and after St. Patrick’s Day. For information about St. Patrick’s Day activities for families and children you can visit their website at http://www.missoula.lib.mt.com in March.