You don’t need to road trip to Seattle for a festive St. Patrick’s Day (although it’s certainly a beautiful drive!). Yakima is home to a number of quaint celebrations, including the annual La Salle High School’s St. Patrick’s Day Gala. Tickets are available to the public for $75 and includes a traditional Irish dinner with catering by Rich Sisters.

As a fundraiser, the gala offers entertainment by Beltaine-Celtic Fusion and includes a live auction and raffle with over $10,000 in prizes. Good Vibrations plays a range of hits for dancing into the wee hours. In the morning, you can kick off the festivities with the complementary Annual Shamrock Cup 6k Run and Walk at 9 a.m. for just a $20 entry fee.

Celtic Dining

Yakima might be known for wineries and Northwestern cuisine, but there are also some British-leaning venues in town. McGuire’s Irish Restaurant and Pub is a favorite, where you’ll find genuine Irish dishes, a darts room, the best fries in Yakima, and of course green beer for the holiday weekend.

The best bars for celebrating include Bill’s Place which features a shamrock on the awning year-round. Bert’s Pub was the first bar in the country to open after Prohibition, and the Scottish legacy can still be felt in the interiors (although initially Grant’s Pub, it turned into Bert’s Pub when ownership changed hands). Where will St. Paddy’s Day find you?