Where to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Berkeley

Time to get your Irish on — with St. Patrick's Day falling on Sunday, March 17, this year, it's shaping up as a two-day celebration. Berkeley offers plenty of options. Check out these local events, then scroll down for more festivities nearby, plus a family-friendly weekend festival in Dublin, CA, and the traditional parade in San Francisco.

Reliably Irish all your round, The Starry Plough Pub, 3101 Shattuck Ave., will pull out all the stops on Sunday with its 40th annual St. Patrick's Day celebration. The pub and kitchen open at 11 a.m., while music and dancing (and a cover charge) begin at 4 p.m. Live music includes Driving with Fergus, the McBride Irish Dancers, and John Slaymaker & the Monday Night Céilí. Corned beef and cabbage will be on the menu. 

If you're left yearning for more, the Starry Plough offers an Irish dance and céilí session hosted by John Slaymaker on Monday, March 18, at 7 p.m.

At the Freight and Salvage Coffeehouse, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley, the renowned Irish singers Michael and Shay Black will perform Saturday at 8 p.m. (Doors open at 7 p.m.) Tickets are $24.50 advance, $26.50 at the door. Purchase tickets online and hear a preview of the Black brothers' music atwww.freightandsalvage.org/michael-shay-black. (See and hear Michael ad Shay Black in the attached video.)

Also on Saturday, raise money for a good cause at the St. Patrick's Eve Sing-Along Contest, 7 to 11 p.m. at the Shattuck Plaza Hotel, 2086 Allston Way, Berkeley. Contestants will lead sing-alongs, with proceeds benefiting Leadership East Bay, a program of the Berkeley and Emeryville Chambers of Commerce. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door. You may buy advance tickets here.

Brennan's hofbrau and sports bar at 700 University Ave., Berkeley (in the one-time Southern Pacific Railroad Depot) will have Irish pints (Guinness and Smithwick's) for $4.50 today through Wednesday, plus green beer all week. Corned beef hot plates and sandwiches and Irish coffee are always available.

Did we miss a local St. Patrick's Day event? If we did, or you'd like to recommend a favorite spot to celebrate, share your information in the comments section below.

MORE BAY AREA ST. PATRICK'S DAY EVENTS

Albany

Today at 6 p.m., the Ivy Room, 860 San Pablo Ave., Albany, will host a free tasting of Jameson Irish Whiskey, including the 12-year-old blend and the Gold Reserve. And on the 17th, the Ivy Room will offer Jameson's for $3 and Irish Bombs for $4 all day.

El Cerrito

Kensington Circus Pub, 389 Colusa Ave., Kensington, is adding both Guinness meat stew and corned beef and cabbage to its dinner menu on the 17th, from 5 to 10 p.m.

There's more corned beef at The Sky Lounge, 10458 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito, to be dished up Sunday. The tavern will also be pouring green beer on the 17th.

At Playland-Not-At-The-Beach, 10979 San Pablo Ave., "little green men" will be loose amongst the vintage amusement park and arcade games and artifacts. Try to round them up Satruday and Sunday. $10 youth and seniors, $15 adults.

Down Home Music Store, 10341 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito (510 525-2129) is reputed to have the best selection of Irish music in the Bay Area. Open Thursday through Sunday.

Oakland

Rockridge residents and their neighbors traditionally head to the venerable McNally's Irish Pub at 5352 College Ave., Oakland to celebrate the saint's day with Guinness, Irish coffee and other potables. Be forewarned — it gets crowded!

The following weekend, Irish singer Sin Silver will appear at Barclay's Restaurant and Pub, 5940 College Ave., Oakland, on Sunday, March 24. Read more about Silver in this Rockridge Patch article.

Crogan's Montclair, 6101 La Salle Ave., Oakland, will serve a full Irish menu Saturday and Sunday, with your choice of corned beef and cabbage, Irish stew, Guinness beef stew or fish and chips. There will be outside dining on the 17th, with a bagpiper playing from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and again from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. You can make reservations here.

For another taste of corned beef, head to Kerry House, 4092 Piedmont Ave., Oakland on March 17. The traditional Irish spread will be served up starting in mid-afternoon. You can phone 510-652-4032 for details.

And if you are in downtown Oakland on Friday, check out the traditional Irish sounds of Driving with Fergus from noon to 1 p.m. at City Center, Broadway at 13th Street. It's free.

Piedmont

Piedmont will celebrate St. Patrick's Day a bit late, with the annual ceilidh — an evening of Celtic music, dance, songs and stories — scheduled for Saturday, March 23, at the Veterans Hall. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. Get the details here.

Family-Friendly Festival in Dublin, CA

If you are looking for a family-friendly celebration, consider heading to Dublin (the one in Alameda County, not Ireland!) for that city's 30th annual St. Patrick's Day Celebration, an all-weekend affair that includes a parade, a pancake breakfast, a 5K walk and run and a fair with children's activities and arts and crafts vendors.

The festival runs  Saturday and Sunday, March 16-17, from 10 am. to 5 p.m. at the Dublin Civic Center, 100 Civic Plaza, Dublin. The parade begins at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, leaving from Amador Plaza and proceeding along Dublin Boulevard, Village Parkway and Amador Valley Boulevard.

For more information, see the city's St. Patrick's Day Festival website.

San Francisco Parade and Festival

The United Irish Societies of San Francisco will host a Saint Patrick's Day parade starting at 11:30 a.m. Saturday. The parade route begins at Second and Market streets and weaves through the city to Civic Center Plaza near San Francisco City Hall.

In conjunction with the parade, there's an Irish Festival Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Joe Alioto Performing Arts Plaza (just to the southeast of San Francisco City Hall). The festival includes Irish music, dancing and what's described as "a never-ending supply of beer."