Family Fun Events in Metro Atlanta, Georgia

It won't be long to St. Patrick's Day, the day when everybody gets to be Irish for a little while.

Atlanta and its suburbs have always had an historical association with the Irish, and this area was much less restrictive toward the immigrants who made their way here than many cities.

While the most famous Southern Irish family was a fictional one, The O'Hara clan, were invented by Atlanta native Margaret Mitchell in one of the most famous novels of all time, Gone With the Wind, it is true that over 40% of Georgians claim Irish descent(including your author.)

We begin the celebration of our Celtic heritage with the annual St. Patrick's Day parade downtown at noon on March 15th. There will be over 200 floats, Irish dancers, Irish dignitaries, bands, bagpipes, drums, kilts, and an excited, noisy, expected crowd of viewers totaling over 350, 000!

The parade will end at Underground Atlanta, where there will be vendors, music, dancing and lots of free entertainment for the entire family.

For more food choices and adult family members, the metro Atlanta area has many, many Irish pubs, such as Fado downtown, The Loafing Leprechaun in Duluth, Meehan's in the Vinings area, and Johnny McCracken's in Marietta. All serve delectable Bangers and Mash (sausage and potatoes,) hearty stews, and plenty of other authentic Irish dishes, with plenty of Harp and Guiness to wash it all down. most of these pubs will be featuring special entertainment for St. Pat's. Details will be available in the near future.

Last year, over 2000 people turned out for Smyrna, Georgia's St. Patrick's Day Festival on the Village Green. This year's events include the dying of the fountain, $4 draft Guiness and Harp, and Irish food specials like Shepherd's Pie and Corn Beef and Cabbage. Proceeds go to charity. The fun starts at 1 PM on Monday,March 17, and goes until it stops.

This is just a small sampling of all the great green Irish fun that Atlanta and its Metro area have in store for all ye lads and lassies on St. Patrick's Day.

Sláinte!