By Sarah Ribeiro
Embrace the Irish holiday this weekend by grabbing a group of your friends and drinking in the tradition. Plan a pub crawl date night that your friends will talk about for years. Don’t worry about your single friends, they’ll have plenty to entertain themselves with on this whirlwind date. The pub scene will buzz around your crew as a mix of singles and couples join together to enjoy a few beers. This is the perfect opportunity to bridge your private and public relationship lives.
First thing’s first: pick a locale. Popular cities for St. Patrick’s Day include Boston, New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Savannah and Phoenix. Search on Yelp or CitySearch so you can put together a list of bars, pubs and taverns that you want to visit throughout the night. Be sure to pick out spots that offer a wide range of brews, fit your budget and have an impressive menu — no drinking on an empty stomach! An important thing to remember is to keep all of your bars in one general area; having just one bar out of the way may encourage drunk driving, and you want to remain safe on this night.
It’s always a good idea to call the bars ahead of time to let them know you’re coming — you’ll have space reserved for your party, and they may even offer you a discount. Order appetizers and pitchers in bulk, you guys will be camping out on those bar stools for a while.
Next, plan a guest list. Decide whether you want this to be one large group date or if you’ll be mixing couples and singles. Keep in mind that your single friends may be uncomfortable if there are too many couples, so make sure you keep an even ratio between the two. Don’t be afraid to play matchmaker and invite friends that you think could be great together!
After all the real planning is done, get creative. Pick a theme that you all can follow for the night. Make shirts with Irish sayings or Gaelic slogans on them. Get really crafty with a theme not related to the holiday: suggest that everyone dress as a character from one of your favorite movies or video games. A popular pub crawl theme is “Mario Party,” where everyone dresses up as their favorite Nintendo character. It’s a great way to spot your group and have a little quirky fun.
For added fun, include a scavenger hunt with things to do. Assign points to tasks like getting a free round of shots, getting the most high fives of the night or getting a picture with the bartender. Have couples compete against each other or do couples versus singles to see who can get the most points.
Then, when the day arrives, hit the bars! Have fun drinking with your love and embrace the opportunity for the two of you to bond with each other’s friends.
How will you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with your partner? Tell us in the comments below.
