By Kristina Light
Every March, South Kansas City celebrates St. Patrick’s Day with parades, races, Celtic music, and a full lineup of Irish-inspired food and drink.
South Kansas City’s St. Patrick’s Day Parades
Local parades are a hallmark of St. Patrick’s Day, and each one brings community connection, ingenuity, and talent.
Not every parade requires a large crowd to make an impact. Truman Farm Villas, a 55+ community in Grandview, hosts a parade for residents, featuring fire and police department vehicles, candy, and music at noon on Friday, March 13.
On Saturday, March 14, Brookside’s 44th Annual Warm-Up Parade, themed Leprechaun Cup: Going for Gold, begins at 2 pm, featuring bands, drill teams, Irish dancers, antique cars, floats, bagpipers, and a variety of dogs. In Lee’s Summit, Shamrock the Block kicks off at 10 am, starting with a parade followed by a block party on Green Street with inflatables, food trucks, a gold coin hunt, and games. Belton’s 42nd Annual Main Street Parade starts at 5 pm, highlighting marching bands, horses, vintage cars, and local groups. During the festivities, Battle Axes on Main will offer ten axe throws for $10.
The 39th Annual Martin City St. Patrick’s Day Parade takes place Sunday, March 15, at 2 pm, beginning at Washington Street and 135th and proceeding east to Holmes Road. Known for its creativity and imagination, the parade features inventive floats and spirited marching groups. Suburban Lawn & Garden on 135th will have shamrock plants for sale.
Purists who prefer celebrating on the official holiday can attend Kansas City’s 52nd Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, one of the nation’s longest-running, on March 17 at 10 am, marching south along Broadway from Linwood to Westport.
St. Patrick’s Day Runs
Two local races take place on Saturday, March 14. KC Running Company hosts the St. Patrick’s 5K at Park Place at 8 am, benefiting Lucky 13 Rescue, a foster-based dog rescue organization. Registration is available at KCStPatricks5k.com. Westport’s St. Patrick’s Day Run, a tradition since 1979, offers a Little Leprechaun Run for children at 9:45 am, a 4-mile run at 10:00 am, and a 1-mile walk at 10:05 am. Registration is available at StPatricksDay4MileRun.com.
Live Performances
The Irish Wake of Paddy O’Toole, a lighthearted comedy about a mischievous Irishman whose wake takes an unexpected turn when his own ghost shows up, will be showing at Belton’s Main Street Theater Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2:30 pm, March 6 through 22. Tickets available at MainStreetBelton.com.
Rosehill Winery in Martin City will host a St. Patrick’s Pop-Up following the parade on March 15 from 3 to 6 pm, featuring live Irish music by And So It Goes. Admission is free, with wine available for purchase on site.
Serendipity Farm & Vine in Stilwell celebrates with a series of free events. St. Patrick’s Day Music Bingo with prizes will be held on March 13 at 6 pm. Live music continues with John Sanders on March 14 from 4 to 7 pm and Dustin White on March 15 from 1 to 4 pm. Full details at SerendipityFarmAndVine.com.
Irish Pub Fare and St. Patrick’s Day Treats
Irish ale is a signature of the holiday, and these local brews are known for selling out quickly. Broken Hatchet Brewing in Belton will bring back Annie’s Irish Red for the March 14 parade, named after brewer Cara’s grandmother, Annie from Kilkenny, Ireland, a city often credited as the birthplace of Irish Red Ale. Martin City Brewing Company will offer The Irish High Five all month, a classic copper-red pale ale with a sweet citrus aroma. On March 13, Transparent Brewing Co. will release its annual Tales of Banshee Smoked Irish Red, a smoky, malt-forward Irish Red with biscuity caramel notes and a semi-sweet finish.
Two Brookside neighborhood staples, Charlie Hooper’s Bar & Grille and Lew’s Grill & Bar, will kick off St. Patrick’s Day weekend with food and drink specials including corned beef, Guinness, and Irish whiskey from March 14 through 17. Charlie Hooper’s opens early at 10 am on March 15 for a traditional Irish Breakfast before the Brookside parade and will air the Big 12 Championship basketball game that afternoon. Lew’s adds a festive twist with its signature “Das Boot” glass boot service, available with a green tint upon request.
O’Neill’s Restaurant & Bar in Leawood has been a south metro Irish institution since 1999, known for pub fare and an annual all-ages St. Patrick’s Day party featuring live music, dancing, and bagpipes throughout the day. Conroy’s Public House, an Irish-owned Kansas City eatery since 2012, offers a traditional menu of fish and chips, cottage pie, fisherman’s pie, Guinness, and Irish whiskey at three locations, including Leawood and South Kansas City.
BB’s Lawnside Blues & BBQ will offer a St. Patrick’s Day special menu featuring a house-brined smoked corned beef brisket sandwich on marble rye with Swiss cheese and spicy brown mustard, cheesy potatoes, and Guinness-braised cabbage.
Green treats for families are available throughout the area. Sweet Granada in the Red Bridge Shopping Center will offer limited-time St. Patrick’s Day chocolate treats, including Gold Coin Bags filled with chocolate gold coins and Irish Foiled Hearts. LaMar’s Donuts will offer shamrock-shaped peppermint iced Bismarcks and festive green donuts. Duck Donuts offers its annual Lucky Duck Dozen March 4 through 22, with flavors including Bacon Shamrock, Strawberry Magical Charms, Lucky Cinnamon Bun, and Confetti Shamrock. Krispy Kreme will roll out green donuts, and Nothing Bundt Cakes will release a seasonal St. Patrick’s Day cake with green frosting. McLain’s, a Kansas City favorite since 1945, will sell traditional Irish soda bread and an assortment of green baked goods.
Local chains offer specials as well. McDonald’s brings back its Shamrock Shake. Dairy Queen offers a Mint Crunchin’ Cookie Dipped Cone and Mint Oreo Blizzard. Culver’s features Mint Fresh Custard. Arby’s serves an Andes Mint Chocolate Shake. Raising Cane’s pours Leprechaun Lemonade. McAlister’s Deli offers Reubens and Leprechaun Lemonade. Cold Stone Creamery scoops Lucky Charms Ice Cream. IHOP flips St. Patrick’s Day Green Pancakes, and Scooter’s Coffee shakes up Lucky Charms Lattes.