Celebrating St. Paddy's Day in Seoul

A previous St. Patrick's Day celebration in D-Cube Plaza at Sindorim Station / Courtesy of Irish Association of Korea

It's #PaddyNotPatty season again, as March 17 approaches and we gear up for various celebrations of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Although often shortened as St. Patty's Day, almost every Irish person will tell you the correct form is St. Paddy's Day, as the Irish form of Patrick is Padraig.

Now that that's out of the way, let's look at the various events in Korea to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. The Irish Association of Korea (IAK) has been hosting events since 2001, but many others are jumping on board to celebrate the inclusivity and diversity of Irishness.

Outdoor festival

The IAK will host its usual outdoor event in D-Cube Plaza at Sindorim Station on Seoul Metro lines 1 and 2. The free event offers music and dance, face-painting and much more. Also offered are fancy dress prizes and a raffle grand prize of airline tickets to Ireland. The festival runs from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. this Saturday, March 16, the day before St. Paddy's Day.

Hooley concert

The IAK also has a concert planned for Saturday night at Club FF and Gogo's in the Hongik University area in western Seoul. For just 10,000 won, one can enjoy up to nine bands starting at 6:30 p.m. The bands include Irish punk act DaddyORadio, traditional Irish act Ceoltoiri Korea and R&B acts Pentasonic and Sotto Gamba.

A previous St. Patrick's Day celebration in D-Cube Plaza at Sindorim Station / Courtesy of Irish Association of Korea

HBC concert

The Alley Bunker in HBC has its own free concert, with live music from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday night. The act is Dog Band, an Irish band from Wonju, Gyeonggi Province.

Restaurant special events

A number of great restaurants are having their own St. Paddy's Day events, each on different days.

First, California Kitchen & Craft Pub in Itaewon starts its three-day celebration on Friday, March 15; details are pending.

Then WinK Kitchen & Taphouse in Seocho-gu offers its own Saturday event a few subway stations away from the IAK festival, hoping to attract people before and after the festival. It offers an extensive menu of food and drinks, including unlimited beer and wine options.

And Mix & Malt in the Daehangno area is offering a corned beef and cabbage dinner, along with special one-time-only cocktails for the occasion. Visit fb.com/calikitch, fb.com/winkkitchenandtaphouse and fb.com/mixmalt for more information.

Fat Albert's Beer Hall and Eatery in Itaewon claims to offer the biggest party on the actual day of St. Patrick's Day, with a 5,000 won cover giving way to drink specials and 8,000 won helpings of Irish stew.

Drinking parties

While all of the above are highly likely to involve plenty of booze, several parties are planned for the occasion, all on March 16.

In Itaewon, Seoul Pub Crawl offers several gifts for its participants, including a limited run of green "I.Soju.U" shirts and a "Jameson Whiskey Shower" at Wolfhound.

In Hongdae, Seoul Global Party has a rooftop party at Playground Rooftop Cafe & Bar, promising green drinks and a night of Irish music.

And in Gangnam, Global Seoul Mates (GSM) has a party at Gangnam Terrace in Nonhyeon-dong with acoustic music and DJs.

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