Honolulu is not all about the knock-down-fantastic Waikiki stretch, breathtaking mountain ranges, or the historic USS Arizona Memorial. It is also home to two of the most frequented and talked-about events every third month of the year in the country: the Murphy’s St. Patrick’s Day Block Party and St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
Murphy’s St. Patrick’s Day Block Party. Sponsored by Murphy’s Bar and Grill, St. Patrick’s Day Block Party in downtown Honolulu is attended by more than one thousand people every 17th of March. St. James Gate Brewery, maker of Irish-identified Guinness Draught, refers to the event as the most grandiose St. Patrick’s Day celebration any one bar in the country has arranged. It features everything Irish: food, drinks, and music. However, like any other nationwide celebration, the party causes congestion in the nearby areas. On St. Patrick’s Day starting at 5:30 pm, Nuuanu Ave. (King St. to Nimitz Hwy.), Merchant St. (Nuuanu Ave. to Bethel St.), and Marlin Lane (Smith St. to Nuuanu Ave.) will be closed to traffic. Map and direction to Murphy’s Bar and Grill and information about the yearly St. Patrick’s Day Block Party can be found on the bar’s website.
It is comforting to note, however, that the party is not all about merrymaking-detached-from-reality kind of celebration. Aside from the blast, Murphy’s has also made the event a rallying point for a worthy cause. Last year, the bar made it a pledge to donate two dollars to Hawaii Children’s Cancer Foundation (HCCF) for every pound of corned beef it was able to sell. HCCF is the only non-government organization in Hawaii exclusively dedicated to assisting children fighting and who have overcome cancer and their respective families.
St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Sponsored by The Society of the Friends of St. Patrick, the Honolulu event is the last in the string of worldwide St. Patrick’s Day parades. It has estimated yearly attendees of 750 marchers, 50 vehicles, a float, and five bands. For this year, the parade will start at Ala Moana Blvd., down to Kalakaua Ave., crossing the Waikiki area, and will end at Queen Kapiolani Park. The event is expected to commence at 12 noon and to last for two hours. Assembly is scheduled at 10:30 am in Fort DeRussy Beach Park accessible through Kalia and Saratoga Roads. Participating organizations are asked to give discretionary contribution, which ranges from $50 to $250, to help cover the cost of the parade. Any unspent donation will be granted to deserving Hawaii students in the form of scholarships. The Friends of St. Patrick has been awarding scholarships to commendable Hawaii students for over 50 years. Additional information regarding the parade can be obtained from the organization’s website.
Indeed, Honolulu has it all. From sceneries, historical landmarks, down to merrymaking spiced by the hint of worthy causes, the city’s ‘aloha’ spirit is roaring with goodwill!
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Photo Credit: Hongreddotbrewhouse
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