Where to go out on St. Paddy’s Day in London

On Tuesday 17th March 2009 is St. Paddy’s Day (more formally known as St Patrick’s Day) and there can be no doubt that London will be full of people dressed up in green capes, leprechaun suits and wearing giant Guinness themed black hats. But where are going to be the hot-spots, where can one be sure to have th best time in town?

• Hitting the Chain: O Neill’s is nationally renowned as the chain bar with an Irish theme and for St. Paddy’s day there will be an all day and all night party - that much can be guaranteed. There’s an O Neills in Clapham, Soho, Covent Garden, Cannon Street, Upper street and loads more nation-wide.
• Hitting the Irish Local: For a more formal celebration on St Patrick’s Day, lock-ins and folk music where you can dance with old Irish widows is available if you head more locally, every borough of London has its own pub, which may have been sitting there for donkey’s years that comes alive just this one day of the year. In Finchley it’s the Erris Tavern, in Oakwood it’s the Oakwood Tavern.
• Go for the Grand Experience: Some Paddy’s day venues are going to be a lot more rammed than others. These Irish themed bars are not pubs but shrines to the Irish drinking experience. Waxy O Conners is a large pub shaped like the inside of an enormous tree with twists and turns, bars and caves and right in the heart of Soho. Archway has its fair share of Ireland’s finest but the Boston Arms is going to be the best night out in my opinion, open well into the early hours and packed with folk all week anyway, this is going to be one party that will go on for days.
• Head Online: Yes, believe it or not you can go to a virtual bar in the world of Second life and enjoy a pint of Baileys and a mug of Jameson’s. A touch of Ireland in Hatchet Cove is an amazing venue, and likely to be crowded or head to Pat’s Bar for a virtual local feel.

Overall London is going to be an amazing place to head out this years for Paddy’s day and night, be sure to book the day off work. Start in an O Neills and try to get into the Boston Arms if you can, I’ll be the one at the bar getting the round in with my big foam Guinness hat on someone Else’s head.