Get ready to go green Denver. The Irish holiday of St. Patrick’s Day is on a Friday this year so parties will be o' plenty.  The fun kicks off with the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday, March 11. That will get you in the mood. Then over the course of the next week enjoy everything Irish including whiskeys, beers, food, music and fun. Get your green on so you don’t get pinched Denver.

Denver St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Start the holiday early at the largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade west of the Mississippi River. Denver’s 2017 St. Patrick’s Day Parade is Saturday, March 11, beginning at 9:30 AM. Enjoy floats, marching bands, costumed characters, all kinds of cars and trucks, and all sorts of things all decked in green. Downtown bars and restaurants will open early for this event so a Guinness or shot of Irish whiskey won’t be too far away. The parade starts at the corner of  19th and Wynkoop behind Fado Irish Pub. The parade route moves west to 17th, then turns north on 17th to Blake and then turns east down Blake Street for many blocks before ending at 27th Street and the Coors Field Parking Lot B. Get your spot early and hope for sunny weather. (Downtown)

Darcy’s Bistro
Down in the DTC, the pub will host St. Baldrick’s, the world’s largest cancer fund raiser on Monday, March 13. Get your head shaved and donate money for a good cause. Then on St. Patrick’s Day, join the fun all day long with Irish dancers, music by the Mile Highlanders Pipers, Guinness and Jameson specials and more. (4955 S. Ulster St., #103; 303-770-0477)

Fado Irish Pub
Denver’s largest St. Patrick’s Day party will be outdoors at Fado’s parking lot next to Coors Field. This party is so big, it will be held two days, Saturday, March 11, and again on Friday, March 17. Enjoy live bands, Irish dance troops, a variety of food trucks, a beer garden and several beverage stations. You can purchase tickets online for just one party or purchase tickets to both and get a discount. Single day tickets are $20 per person. Get the Parade Day Pack for $64 per person and receive two Big Beers per ticket. The Two-Party Pack is also $64 and is good for both parties and two Big Beers for each day. The parade party starts at 10 AM and the St. Pat’s Day party starts at noon. Both parties are age 21 and over only starting at 4 PM. (1735 19th St.; 303-297-0066)

Keggs & Eggs at Blake Street Tavern
The 12th annual Keggs & Eggs beer breakfast and music concert hosted by Area 93 is on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, at 7 AM at Blake Street Tavern. This year features music by American Authors, Bishop Briggs and Bryce Fox. This event as always is free, but space is limited to first come, first served. That means get your butt outta bed or you will miss the show. (2301 Blake St.; 303-675-0505)

Howl at the Moon
St. Patrick’s Day is a great day for singing drinking songs and Howl at the Moon is where that can happen. Enjoy drink specials like green beers, Leprechaun bombs, $20 Get Lucky Buckets and more. Enter to win a St. Patrick’s Happy Hour party on the website. (1735 19th St.; 303-291-0880)

The Irish Rover Pub
There will be two parties at the Rover on Broadway, one after the parade on March 11 and one on St. Patrick’s Day. The bar will open at 10 AM on Saturday and 11 AM on St. Patrick’s Day. There will be corned beef and cabbage and all the Guinness and Jameson you can handle for both parties. Enjoy live music with bag pipes and dances and a DJ in the evening. The rooftop patio will be open and there is no cover. (54 S Broadway; 303-282-4643)

The Irish Snug
Once again the Capitol Hill Hooley will happen at the Snug on Saturday, March 11, and on St. Patrick’s Day. Saturday is the Parade Festival with lots of Irish dancers and bagpipe bands. There is also a Magic Show. Friday features more Irish music and fun and the day will be capped with a performance by Under a Blood Red Sky, a U2 tribute band. For those looking for a more subdued party, on Sundays, March 12 and 19, the Snug will host a traditional Irish brunch and dinner with live Irish music. Brunch is from 10 AM to 3 PM and dinner begins at 3 PM.  (1201 E Colfax Ave.; 303-839-1394)

Lansdowne Arms Bistro
Lansdowne in Highlands Ranch will also host a St. Baldrick’s fund raising event on Sunday, March 12, from 10 AM-3 PM. Donate or get in on the fun by shaving your head to support kids fighting cancer. On St. Patrick’s Day enjoy Irish dancers, Mile Highlanders bagpipes and more live music. There will be Guinness and Jameson specials. (9352 Dorchester St.; 303-346-9136)

Odyssey Beerwerks
Join the beer buffs at Odyssey for a beer release party and St. Patrick’s Day get together. Enjoy the special release of small batch Nitro Odaise Dry Irish Stout on Friday, March 17. Then afterward stay for the party with music from Sleazy Grease starting at 8 PM. Food truck Pambasos will also be there and be sure to wear green for a chance to win prizes. (5535 W. 56th Ave., Ste. 107; 303-421-0772)

Scruffy Murphy’s
Scruffy’s is hosting a parade bash starting at 7 AM on Saturday, March 11. Only two blocks from the parade route, enjoy stepdancers, live music on two stages, three bars and a heated beer tent on the back patio. Drink food specials all day long. No cover. (2030 Larimer St.; 303-291-6992)

Thirsty Lion Gastropub
St. Patrick’s Day starts early at both Thirsty Lion locations with a special food and drink menu that starts now and runs through the big green day. The menu features Corned Beef Mac and Cheese and Beer Braised Corned Beef and Cabbage along with a Jameson Bing Cherry Bread Pudding for dessert. The bar will serve a Modern Black and Tan with Guinness Stout, Widmer Brrr, New Belgium Accumulation and 10 Barrel Pray for Snow. Cocktails include favorites like the Irish Mule, Irish Old Fashioned and Baileys. On Saturday, March 11, the Union Station location will host its fifth annual St. Baldrick’s Fundraiser for kids fighting cancer from 1 to 5 PM. Visit this website if you want to join St. Baldrick’s. (Downtown, 1605 Wynkoop St.;  Cherry Creek, 201 Columbine St.)

ViewHouse Ballpark & Centennial
Both locations of the ViewHouse will host St. Patrick’s Day Shenanigans all week long. The party starts at Ballpark on Saturday, March 11, through St. Patrick’s Day and the Centennial location starts on Sunday, March 12, through Friday, March 17. Enjoy specials on Irish dishes including Reuben Triangles and Shepherd’s Pie. Drink specials include $4 Jameson shots and Green Coors Lights, $3 pints of Sons of 1858 Beers, and $6 Irish Car Bombs. Downtown after the parade on Saturday, enjoy live music with Potcheen and Michael Collins Pipes and Drums. (Ballpark, 2015 Market St.; Centennial, 7101 S. Clinton St.)

The McNichols Project:  The Jazz Age 
Need a refined alternative to the typical rowdy St. Patrick’s Day? The McNichols Project is a unique series that will explore select eras from the past in 2017. For this first event, the Project will invite guests to sample the Jazz Age complete with era-appropriate cocktails, music and décor. Revel in the age of flappers, bootleggers and blue bands. Tickets are $30 per person and include a choice of Prohibition-era cocktails or craft beers, live music and art. Complimentary snackes will be available along with food for purchase from Denver’s best food trucks. Guests can purchase tickets on the website and the event runs from 7:30-10 PM on Friday, March 17. (144 W. Colfax Ave.)

Photo via Brady Kennedy