City: Portland, OR

Category: Annual Events & Festivals

Description: Portland has turned St. Patrick’s Day into a multiday party, with the locus downtown, where Kells Irish Restaurant and Pub hosts a street fair, live Celtic and Irish music, and demonstrations of Irish crafts (112 Southwest 2nd Ave.; www.kellsirish.com/portland/festival.html). They also serve beer (Harp and Guinness flow freely), and you can ward off the damp chill with an Irish coffee or some Irish whiskey.Other shops, restaurants, pubs, and bars flaunt their Irish heritage or make it up for a day as they join in the celebration. You can get ready for St. Patrick’s Day at Kathleen’s of Dublin, 737 Southwest Salmon, (503) 224-4869, one of the best shops for Irish (and Scottish) merchandise, including clothing, tapes, and CDs; Celtic-inspired jewelry; and teacups and teapots—and Guinness. The All Ireland Cultural Society, (503) 286-4812, also sponsors a St. Patrick’s Day festival, usually on the actual day (March 17). Check out their website for more information: www.oregonirishclub.org/stpatricksdayfestival.html.