Column: How to enjoy St. Pat's Without Dying Planning

Photo: Google Maps O'Neill's Irish Pub & Restaurant, 93 N. Main St., Norwalk

By Maria Fernanda Torres

Hey there! It’s me again, back at it! I imagine that if you are reading this is because you want to make the most out of this St. Patrick’s Day. Am I right? Well, as always, I got you!

Here are the places close to Norwalk that will be celebrating St. Patrick’s. And

listen. We may not have a river that we color green every year, but we sure have our fair share of fun, so let’s dive in!

Parades

Danbury:

The parade steps off Sunday, March 19 at 2 p.m. at St. Peter Church, Main St., Danbury. It turns right on Main Street, left on West Street to Lake Avenue and ends at the Greater Danbury Irish Cultural Center, 6 Lake Ave. There will be food, refreshments, music and dance. The center will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Steve O'Tree & Friends at 2:30 p.m., and others TBA. Visit the GDICC website here.

Norwalk:

The parade at Norwalk will start at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 11. These are the streets where you can be part of the parade:

- Fort Point Street (Route 136) at Seaview Avenue

- Washington Street at Water Street

- Washington Street at South Main Street

- Marshall Street at North Main Street

- Ann Street at North Main Street

- North Main Street at West Avenue

Milford:

This parade begins at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 11. It will start at Milford Green, 84 S. Broad St, Milford, CT.

New Haven:

The Greater New Haven St. Patrick's Day Parade takes place this Sunday, March 13, at 1:30 p.m. This parade is one the biggest and most famous parades in the state of Connecticut. It will have live music and beautiful cultural representations. It will start at Chapel St. and will end at Orange St.

Greenwich:

The Greenwich St. Patrick’s Day Parade begins at 2 p.m. on March 19. It will start at the

Greenwich Town Hall. This parade will be full of marching bands, Irish wolfhounds, horses,

floats, and much more!

And of course, how would I forget about the famous St. Patrick’s Day Bar Crawls? After all, we

are college students living their best life.

Bar Crawl

Stamford:

The Lucky’s St. Patrick’s Day Crawl will be Friday, March 17, and Saturday, March 18 at Towne Parlor Pizza & Pints, starting at 4 p.m. and it will end 12 a.m. Here is the website for more information!

New Haven:

This year the official St. Patrick's Bar Crawl will be held on March 18 from 11 a.m to 9 p.m. Click

here to get more info about tickets and bars!

For a more chill St. Patrick’s Day

Of course, you can always count on the good old Irish Pub near you to feel lucky that day. Here are some of my suggestions in case you feel like trying anything new!

-O’Neill’s Pub, Norwalk

-Donovan’s Norwalk

-Colony Grill, Fairfield

-Tigin Irish Pub, Stamford

The first time I ever celebrated St. Patrick’s Day was when I was 21 years old. It was New

Haven’s parade and I remembered I had so much fun. It was one of those events that you keep near your heart. Everything in the United States was pretty new to me, so this celebration also was. I would definitely encourage you to enjoy Spring Break by having a little bit of fun amid the chaos college life can be.

Wishing you a pot of gold this St. Patrick's Day!

Maria Fernanda Torres is a columnist for The Voice.