Dublin's St. Patrick's Day Celebration 2021: Get A Sneak Peek

DUBLIN, CA — After a slew of event cancellations in 2020, the city of Dublin said it is planning a "drastically different" St. Patrick's Day celebration in 2021, with safety modifications.

In years past, the two-day event has drawn 80,000 visitors to attractions such as the Shamrock 5K Fun Run, Dublin Lions Club St. Patrick's Day Parade and Firefighters Pancake Breakfast at the civic center grounds. Current plans for the 38th annual event dictates that the event will now be spread out around the city and take place from March 13 to 20, said City Manager Linda Smith in a report that the city council reviewed at its meeting last week.

The festivities could include: a Shamrock Crawl of local businesses with themed food and drink specials; at-home themed activities; the creation of a community mural; a socially distant or drive-in Irish concert; youth activities such as dance lessons, arts and crafts and storytelling events; and a virtual Shamrock 5K Fun Run.

The highlight of the event will be the Irish Tea Cottage, which is slated to move outdoors and follow the county's outdoor dining restrictions. Registration will be required and space will be limited, according to the report.

The Dublin Lions Club is interested in finding a safe, complaint way to host the St. Patrick's Day Parade, and firefighters are interested in hosting the pancake breakfast, though significant changes in the health order would have to take place for that to be feasible, according to the report.

City officials expect to spent $170,000 on the event and earn $190,000 in revenue. Costs and revenues are expected to be lower than usual due to the pandemic, the city said.

Read more about plans for the event here.