What’s on for St Patrick’s Day 2023 in Durham?

Whether you’re born and bred of the 26 counties, have a second cousin twice removed through your grandma’s uncle’s side from Cork, or you’re just rather fond of the colour green, there is plenty going on in Durham for St Patrick’s Day (Friday 17th March, 2023) this year!

Here are some of my recommendations and finds for what to do this Friday:

1. Katie O’Brien’s

Found in Walkergate, this Irish pub is new this year to Durham and hosts a banging quiz every Monday. It’s the perfect place to spend the St Patrick’s Day well into the night, with Irish music, great craic and special drinks offers to mark the occasion for students. They’re offering a very tempting £3.50 for a double vodka plus mixer, £3.95 pints, £2.95 Becks and £2.50 for a Baby Guinness if the stout’s not your thing. I can definitely recommend Katie O’Brien’s as a great place to spend your Paddy’s day, as you can see above!

2. Bohemia

If you can manage to get your hands on these sought-after tickets, Bohemia, are hosting a Feral Fridays, St Patrick’s Day Sesh, to celebrate the date! With disco, house and booty-bangin’, it’s a little different than your average St Patrick’s Day ceilidh. Try your luck at getting tickets here.

3. Loft

If you want to celebrate the end of summative season as well as our friends across the Irish Sea, Loft are hosting an End of Term St Patrick’s Day Special, with prizes, fancy dress encouraged and Irish themed drinks advertised.

4. WiffWaff

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With drinks flowing and a reportedly, “unmissable Friday night for St Patrick’s Day”, according to Fixr, you can celebrate the end of term in style with Afrobeats as well as your old school RnB faves from WiffWaff’s DJs.

5. College Bars

If you’re not feeling like hitting the clubs for St Patrick’s Day, there is plenty on offer at Durham’s college bars.

With green drinks aplenty at many colleges (we’re looking at you Mildert and Cuth’s with your Frogs and Shrek Juices), a lot of the bars are offering special drinks for the occasion.  You could go to Grey and get yourself a Luck of the Irish (Midori, Malibu and lemonade) for £3.60, or a baby Guinness even for £1.80? Rumour has it they’ve got one of the cheapest Guinnesses at £3 as well…

Also make sure to check out what your college bar is doing for the Ireland vs. England game on Saturday if you don’t want the St Patrick’s Day celebrations to stop after Friday!

6. Durham University Irish Society

If you’re an Irish student here at Durham, the DUIS are running a bar crawl on St Patrick’s with more information on their socials, where you’re, “welcome to come along for a night of games, drinking and craic!”

7. The Durham GAA team

A great example of Irish culture at Durham University you can get involved with to connect with Irish sports whilst at uni, Durham’s Gaelic football team – why not have a look into giving it a go or supporting them this year?

The only real requirement is NO SNAKES ALLOWED!

Either way sláinte guys, and enjoy your Paddy’s day however you choose to celebrate!

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• Durham University in £5 million deal with Mitie, the UK’s largest provider of migrant prisons

• Eight things in my nine grand Hatfield room that would put my non-Durham friends in a coma