Guide to Arkansas St. Patrick's Day Celebrations 2011

Searching northeast Arkansas for St. Patrick's Day parties and events is not an easy task. The largest town within one hour of the northeast Arkansas area is Jonesboro. A St. Patrick's celebration is planned there for Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 7:30 PM at Fowler Center for the Arts on the Arkansas State University campus. Craicmore will be playing. Craicmore's music is rooted in both the music of Ireland and Scotland. To visit their site, learn cost of tickets, etc. go to the site included in the hyperlink.

If you have the time and would like to travel down south a little further you may encounter a St. Patrick's Day parade or two. The 2011 12^th Annual Rock to North Little Rock St. Patrick's Day Parade will begin at 1:00 p.m. on March 17^th, 2011 in downtown Little Rock and cross the Arkansas River into North Little Rock. Parades in the past have featured marching bands, Irish music and dancing, and more. From 2:00 to 4:00 pm, "Dancing at the Crossroads" will be held on the Grand Stand stage. This will feature Irish music and dance performance.

Little Rock is also having a musical group known as Mithril perform to celebrate St. Patrick's Day on Saturday March 19^th at 8:00pm and Sunday March 20^th, 2011 at 3:00pm. Mithril is described as a Celtic group from Alabama that will perform both traditional and nontraditional Irish music. Ticket prices range between $20-65.

A little further South of Little Rock is Hot Springs. Hot Springs' The World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade will be held on March 17^th, 2011 on the historic Bridge Street (that has even been featured in Ripley's Believe it or Not! as the shortest street in the world). The parade will begin at 6:30 pm in downtown Hot Springs.

If in the northwestern section of Arkansas, it might be worth a visit to Kelt's Irish Pub. Kelt's Irish Pub "celebrates the spirit and reflects the traditions of the ancient Celtic regions and regions of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Isle of Mann, Spain, and northern France". Kelt's is located in Altus, Arkansas. Hours of operation are listed on the site in the hyperlink.

The northwestern part of Arkansas also has Eureka Springs-a town that holds an annual St. Patrick's parade each year. There is a Eureka Springs legend that says St. Paddy had a descendent while living in the town named St. Paddy Jr.

Wherever you go, don't forget to wear green. All that pinching could ruin anyone's good time.