As a destination marketer, you don't need the luck of the Irish to attract visitors with a mid-March trip to your destination. Luckily, St. Patrick's Day falls on March 17 and is the perfect excuse for visitors and locals alike to eat, drink, and wear green and for destination marketers to create fun guides and events to usher the want-to-be Irish folks through your destination. Seeker has all the inspiration you need to make a big impact during this oh-so-green holiday.

Destination marketing organizations (DMOs) can leverage Saint Patrick’s Day even if your destination doesn't go all-out for this holiday, there are many destination marketing strategies you can employ to position yourself as the perfect St. Paddy's Day getaway this March. Guides are an easy way to get visitors inspired to get up and go green (pun intended.)

What is a Guide?

But first, what is a guide? Guides are a collection of places or things to do at your destination. These carefully curated lists with maps are highly influential. Created by DMOs, guides are a critical piece of marketing content and an important tool for visitors planning trips to your destination.

Creative St. Patrick's Day Guide Ideas

On St. Patrick’s Day, many cities come alive with parades and pub crawls, but what if your destination isn't renowned for these traditional festivities? As a destination marketer, it’s part of your job to get creative in a uniquely green way. Picture this: a tour through lush green spaces, featuring St. Patrick’s Day live music and dance parties, and a treasure trove of lucky spots waiting to be discovered. Even if your city isn't known for its rowdy celebrations, you can get creative, curate some unique experiences, and maybe even be the founder of an annual event to build on year after year.

St. Patrick’s Day Guides for the Lucky Destination Marketers

If you are lucky enough to be marketing a destination that already has an established St. Patrick’s Day celebration, pick the main event and build a guide around it. You might have a parade, street fair, or 5k race. Use that event to be the focus of your guide and let visitors and locals know where to go before and after your main event.

Some ideas include brunch, lunch, pubs, and kid-friendly activities that pair well with your main event. Creating a guide (or several guides depending on your audience) will get people to enjoy more places in your location and this can help spread out crowds and bring revenue to more businesses in your destination. Short on time? You can use the Seeker Explore platform and have AI quickly help you create your guide or check-in challenges.

St. Patrick’s Day Bar and Pub Crawls for Your Destination

Almost every destination has bars and pubs so creating a guide that highlights the best bars for a pint of Guinness and a plate of corned beef should be a quick easy win for your destination. If your destination has breweries, consider adding these too. Breweries, wineries, and distilleries are great options for couples and solo travelers looking to mix and mingle. Find destinations featuring green-colored drinks and even jump on a possible non-alcoholic or cannabis tour as both of these movements are gaining tons of popularity.

For even more engagement and participation, turn your green alcohol-fueled guide into a digital passport and gamify the experience with Check-in Challenges, awarding participants with St. Patrick’s Day-themed badges and prizes.

Create St Patrick’s Day Bar Crawls that:

Visit Irish Pubs if you have them in your location
Work in breweries, wineries, and distilleries if available in your area
Create a guide of green-feature cocktails, beers, wines, and foods
Consider working in non-alcoholic or cannabis options
Turn your crawl into a guide or check-in challenge with prizes

St. Patrick’s Day Green Spaces Guides

Green is the color of shamrocks and the symbolic color of St. Patrick's Day, so why not highlight all the Instagrammable green spaces in your destination? Partner with influencers and encourage locals and visitors to create user-generated content (UGC) and get help filling your social feed with green. Create a special St. Patrick’s Day hashtag for your destination and watch it grow year after year.

Your St Patrick’s Day Green Spaces guide can include a self-guided walking or cycling tour of your destination.

Create self-guided journeys that:

Start or stop at parks, gardens, or leafy boulevards
Include Instagramable points of interest along the way
Incorporate gamification like a scavenger hunt, digital passport, or selfie photo challenge
Include places to stock up on picnic supplies or buy ready-to-eat foods and drinks like growlers of beer

St. Patrick’s Day Lucky Places Guides

Every year, thousands of people flock to the Blarney Castle & Gardens to kiss the Blarney Stone for a bit o’ luck and the gift of eloquence. Your destination likely has a space where folks gather to perform rituals or simply visit to increase their chances for wealth, health, or happiness. If your destination isn’t that lucky, you can create “lucky spots” they can visit in your guide. Take a look at this guide that highlights the Luckiest Places in the World for inspiration.

Create a guide that highlights all the lucky places in your destination. Luck comes in many forms so these could include:

Lucky objects, statues, monuments, or structures
Fountains or wishing wells
Casinos, horse racing, and sports venues
Rejuvenating hot springs, cold springs, and spas
Places for a picture-perfect kiss
Popular spots, lookouts, and picturesque vistas for singles and couples who wish to be lucky in love

St. Patrick’s Day Music and Dance Party Guides

Your visitors might fancy learning an Irish jig or just dancing the night away. Create a guide of the best late-night venues for live music and dance that will make any late-night reveler green with envy. You could even create a Spotify playlist to get venues and visitors in the mood as they plan and enjoy their trips to your destination.

From live music at local pubs to day-long festivals to concert tours, have your destination’s music guide in the bag(pipe) by planning ahead and creating a performing arts guide and promoting it on your website, and throughout your destination with QR codes.

Create a live music guide that:

Showcases the best late-night venues for live music and dance
Consider creating a Spotify playlist to enhance the trip-planning experience
Incorporate a diverse range of music events such as festivals and concert tours
Promote your guide through your website and QR codes

Use what you have to Create a St. Patrick's Day Guide

Crafting a successful St. Patrick's Day guide for your destination doesn't require the luck of the Irish, just a dash of creativity and strategic planning. Whether your city is renowned for its lively celebrations or seeks to cultivate a unique experience, there are plenty of opportunities to attract visitors and locals alike.

By curating guides that highlight everything from traditional festivities to green spaces, lucky spots, and music and dance parties, destination marketers can offer diverse experiences tailored to different interests. These guides not only provide valuable information to visitors but also help spread out crowds and support local businesses.
Even if time is short, technology like Explore can provide quick, AI-powered solutions to create guides or check-in challenges, ensuring your destination stands out during this vibrant holiday. With a little creativity and the right tools, your St. Patrick's Day guide can be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for your destination.

How to Create a Saint Patrick's Day Guide for Your Destination