Plan Your Best St. Patrick’s Day

Festive parades, incredible events and traditional bites—the luck of the Irish is all over Morris and Essex.

The day to celebrate all things Irish, of course, is March 17, St. Patrick’s Day. And Morris and Essex have lots of reasons to celebrate it—did you know we host New Jersey’s oldest St. Patrick’s Day parade? (Newark’s steps off for the 91st time this year.)

Want to join in on the celebrations? Here are some offerings all around the counties:

Parades

• March 7, Nutley St. Patrick’s Day Parade
• March 13, Newark St. Patrick’s Day Parade
• March 14, St. Patrick’s Day Parade of Morris County in Morristown
• March 15, West Orange St. Patrick’s Day Parade

The fun goes beyond parades. You can also check out these St. Patrick’s Day-themed festivities:

March 7–8

• At the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, see Riverdance 30—The New Generation, which rejuvenates the original show with innovative choreography, costumes and state-of-the-art projection and motion graphics. Multiple seatings are available.

March 14

• Lace up your sneakers and take on the Coach Mike O’Brien Memorial 5K St. Patrick’s Day Run in Denville, held in memory of the Morris Catholic High School cross country coach. Check in starts at 9 a.m., and registration is required.

March 15

• Glen Ridge Congregational Church in Glen Ridge will present an St. Patrick’s Day luncheon at 11:15 a.m. with food, children’s activities and music. Make sure to RSVP!

March 17

• Montclair’s Tierney’s Tavern is continuing its tradition of serving 500 lbs. of corned beef on St. Paddy’s, plus traditional music and great vibes all day.

March 19

• Enjoy a night of free Irish folk music at the Montclair Adult School, featuring Linda Hickman and Iris Nevins of the Folklife Center of North Jersey. Music starts at 6:30 p.m., and registration is recommended.

Of course, we can savor the flavors of Ireland 365 days of the year. These five are recent Readers’ Choice contest honorees for Best Irish Pub and are worth a try (and don’t forget to vote for your favorite in 2026!).

• Arthur’s Tavern
  *700 Speedwell Ave., Morris Plains, 973.455.9705
• Auld Shebeen Pub
  *1401 Rte. 10, Whippany, 973.538.8811, ext. 6454
• Danaher’s Pub
  *31 Passaic Ave., Fairfield, 973.227.4938
• St. James’s Gate Publick House
  *167 Maplewood Ave., Maplewood, 973.378.2222
• Thatcher McGee’s
  *53 Broadway, Denville, 973.586.3377
• Quiet Man
  *64 E. McFarlan St., Dover, 973.366.6333

How are you celebrating St. Patrick’s in Morris and Essex? Tell us all about it in Instagram @morrisandessexmag!