7 St. Patrick's Day Restaurant Promotions for 2025

Mid-March is nearly here, so it’s time to start thinking about how you’re going to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at your bar or restaurant. Many people will be looking for a night out on the town, so it’s a great opportunity to bring in both new and returning customers. If you’re searching for ideas on how to make the most of the holiday, these 6 St. Patrick’s Day restaurant promotions will help make it a great night for both you and your guests.

Bring in Live Music

Live traditional (or trad) music is a huge part of Irish culture, so booking a local band for St. Patrick’s Day will not only help authenticity, but also get your guests in the festive spirit. If you live in an area where you can book an Irish trad music group to play, that’ll make the day even more authentic; if you cannot locate such a band, Irish rock or general rock music will be just as fun. For an added touch, try locating a bagpipe player for that extra Celtic flare. 

Offer Your Customers Perks for Wearing Green

Wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day is a must, so why not reward your clientele for doing so? Offering your green-clad patrons a small discount or free drink encourages others to join in on the fun and will certainly garner a lot of attention. 

Prior to St. Patrick’s Day, promote this deal on your social media channels and in your email campaigns, set the rules for your customers to follow in order to receive this special (i.e. wear head-to-toe green or wear seven shamrocks, etc.) and then wait for the green invasion! 

Whatever discount or offer you promote, make sure it’s within your means, as you’ll more than likely have a large crowd of customers wearing green for the day. 

Serve a Special St. Patrick’s Day Menu

There’s nothing better than having some hearty Irish cuisine on St. Patrick’s Day, so why not serve some up to your customers? Curate a special St. Paddy’s Day menu for the day, the entire week or even the full month of March. From corned beef and cabbage to soda bread, traditional Irish foods are sure to draw people to your restaurant.

The holiday is just as much about the food as it is the drinks, so don’t forget about your St. Patrick’s Day drink menu. Although Guinness and apple cider are full of old-fashioned flavors, other festive drinks like green beer or even mint milkshakes would be fun additions to your restaurant or bar’s offerings as well.

A Staff of Leprechauns 

For this St. Patrick’s day bar idea, encourage your staff to dress in green or provide outfits they can change into. Formal leprechaun attire includes:

• Green or black top hat


• White, striped or green stockings or knee-high socks


• Bow tie


• Buckled shoes


• Fake (or real) beard


• Pipe


• Coat or apron

You can save money by asking your staff if anyone already owns a leprechaun costume. Otherwise, you could buy the supplies for one official house leprechaun while everyone else wears green clothing and/or accessories.

Leprechaun Costume Contest

What’s St. Patrick’s Day without a visit from a leprechaun? This is a great event to host at any bar or restaurant, as it can be adapted for any age group. Advertise the leprechaun costume contest on social media and in email campaigns, and hold the event on the day or during St. Patrick’s Day weekend.

You can break down prizes by Most Creative, Funniest, Best-in-Show and so on. The grand prize winner can win, what else, but a pot of gold! You can also include vouchers or gift cards to your restaurant for prizes, and you can even team up with other local businesses to include donated prizes and vouchers.

Create an Irish Whiskey Flight Experience

Perfect for restaurants or bars that carry a wide variety of Irish whiskeys, offering a whiskey flight during St. Patrick’s Day gives guests a taste of the Emerald Isle. This is also a great way to get customers to try your stock of whiskeys or to showcase the breadth of your whiskey selection. 

If you want to make things fun, you can serve the whiskey tastings on a green board, categorize them by what county in Ireland they hail from or go by distillation. For an added bonus, serve a whiskey flight in a package deal as a fun promotion that’ll include a traditional Irish dinner from your limited edition St. Patrick’s Day menu. 

Traditional Irish Pub Games 

To get St. Paddy’s Day celebrators to stop their bar crawl at your pub, you’ll need to provide them an experience they won’t find anywhere else. Get thirsty patrons to stay longer–and drink more–by offering free and wholesome entertainment.

• Rings – Rings are a traditional Irish game ideal for small spaces. The goal is to get 6 rings onto a shield-shaped board with 13 hooks, each of which has its own point-scoring value.


• Darts – Darts is another classic game loved by the Irish. So much so they even have their own boards.


• Bags – This St. Patrick’s day bar idea isn’t specifically Irish, but who doesn’t love a round of bags? If the weather permits, go outside for some good ol’ fashion fun.


• Trivia – Whether it be trivia on Irish pop culture, historic landmarks or history, you can create your own trivia game via software like Kahoot. The only thing people need are their phones and the link!

Consider making these games into a bar-wide contest. Instead of rewarding them with only one free drink, give them free drinking privileges for the rest of the day. This marketing tactic not only raises the stakes but it forces the winner’s entire party to stay and spend more, reserving their business from your competitors.

No matter what type of promotion you set up this St. Patrick’s Day, make sure you encourage your customers to get home safe either with a designated driver, a cab service or a ride sharing service.