How Many Days Until St Patrick's Day 2026?

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When is St Patrick's Day 2026?

St Patrick's Day 2026 falls on Tuesday, March 17, 2026.

About St Patrick's Day

St Patrick's Day on March 17 honours Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, who is credited with bringing Christianity to the country in the 5th century. The date marks the traditional day of his death. In Ireland and Northern Ireland it is a public holiday, kept with parades, church services and family meals. Around the world, and especially in the United States, Canada and Australia, it has grown into a broad celebration of Irish culture and heritage. Cities hold parades, dye rivers green, most famously in Chicago, and light up landmarks in green. Wearing green clothing and shamrocks is a long-standing custom. The date is always March 17, whatever the day of the week.

The St Patrick's Day parade in New York City has been held since 1762, before American independence, and is one of the oldest civilian parades in the world, still drawing more than a million spectators. The Chicago River has been dyed green for the day every year since 1962, using a dye first developed by members of a plumbers' union. The tradition that St Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity is attributed to the saint himself, but there is no contemporary written evidence, and the earliest reliable references date only from the 18th century. In Ireland, Catholic and Church of Ireland churches usually hold a special St Patrick's Day service. The day is also a major one for Guinness, with global sales of the stout reaching their yearly peak around March 17. It was historically the one day when the rules of Lenten fasting were relaxed in Ireland.

Frequently asked questions

Who was Saint Patrick?

Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and the figure most associated with bringing Christianity to the country. He lived in the 5th century. According to his own writings, he was born in Roman Britain, was captured by raiders as a teenager and taken to Ireland as a slave, escaped, and later returned as a missionary bishop. Much of his later story is legend rather than firm history. March 17 is kept as his feast day because it is the traditional date of his death.

Why is March 17 St Patrick's Day?

March 17 is observed as St Patrick's Day because it is the traditional anniversary of Saint Patrick's death, thought to have occurred in the second half of the 5th century. In the Christian calendar a saint's feast is usually kept on the date of their death, seen as their entry into eternal life. The date has been linked with Patrick for many centuries and was made an official church feast day in Ireland in the early 17th century.

Is St Patrick's Day a public holiday?

St Patrick's Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland, where offices, banks and many businesses close. It is also a public holiday in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador and on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, which has strong Irish heritage. In the United States, the United Kingdom outside Northern Ireland, and most other countries, it is widely celebrated but is not an official day off. The date is fixed at March 17.

Why is the shamrock a symbol of St Patrick's Day?

The shamrock, a small three-leaved plant, is linked to St Patrick through a long-standing story that he used it to explain the Christian Trinity, three persons in one God, to the people he was teaching. There is no contemporary record of this, and the earliest clear references appear only in the 18th century, but the symbol stuck. Wearing a shamrock or green clothing on March 17 became a way of showing Irish identity, and the plant is now one of the best-known emblems of Ireland.

Why do people wear green on St Patrick's Day?

Wearing green is tied to Irish identity. Ireland is often called the Emerald Isle for its green countryside, the shamrock is green, and green features in Irish nationalism and on the flag. Interestingly, the colour first associated with St Patrick was blue, and green grew more prominent later, partly through the shamrock and through Irish political movements. Today wearing green on March 17 is the simplest way to mark the day, and there is even a playful custom of pinching people who forget to wear it.