The recent drought of live St. Patrick’s Day celebrations due to COVID has come to an end, as Ocean Beach has announced its own take on the popular Irish holiday celebration.
Titled St. Paddy’s O’Beach Party, OB’s inaugural event will take place Saturday, March 19 from ll a.m.-11:30 p.m. in the Ocean Beach Pier parking lot.
This all-day-and-night party will be for ages 21-plus. The fun-loving, non-traditional celebration will feature live music, a “Guac Off,” party games, and a beer garden serving green brew.
Party-goers can expect live performances from local bands and DJs, beer and cocktails, and St. Paddy’s Day-themed games including a corned beef invitational cornhole tournament, a pup pageant, Mr. and Ms. Corned Beef contest, “Leprechaun Limbo,” and more.
The first 500 entrants will receive a gold coin redeemable for a variety of prizes including cocktails, swag, and cash, as well as the opportunity to participate in the “Guac Off” featuring samples of guacamole from 10 local vendors and a chance to vote for the favorite.
Proceeds from the St. Paddy’s O’Beach Party will benefit the Ocean Beach MainStreet Association.
“Ocean Beach MainStreet is again partnering with the Hoy Hoy Boys and The Peninsula Alliance to have this new event on March 19,” said Denny Knox, OBMA’s executive director. “We’re excited about this one-day event. We’ve talked about it for years but never really put it all together.”
“There’s an authentic way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, there’s the way people outside of Ireland celebrate, and then there’s the Ocean Beach way,” said Scott Slaga, owner of Winstons in OB and 710 Beach Club in PB, who is an event organizer.
“At the core, we are still socializing and storytelling in the traditional color green. But in Ocean Beach, we’re celebrating our favorite green food, guacamole, and featuring live music from San Diego’s top local bands. Expect a St. Paddy’s Day party with a true San Diego twist,” Slaga said.
St. Paddy’s event organizer Heather Hudson, a member of the Hoy Hoy Boys, which also helps stage and support OB’s Oktoberfest, Street Fair and Chili-Cookoff, talked about the organization’s role in OB.
“The Hoy Hoy Boys have given more than $750,000 to the community,” said Hudson adding benefactors, besides OBMA, which have included The Peninsula Alliance and the Warriors Foundation Freedom Station serving military veterans. “We do have a good road map in knowing how to help people have fun with different themes, which is carried over with this new St. Patrick’s Day event. St. Paddy’s will also feature a 5K fun beach run, and several different activities taking place on the beer garden stage. Our lineup of live music by local artists will be released soon.”
Slaga talked about the debut of St. Paddy’s cornhole tournament.
“We envision this cornhole tournament to be composed of teams representing businesses in OB,” he said. “Five years down the road we may have as many as 64 businesses competing against each other in a two-day event. We’re looking to build some excitement and synergy with the business community.
Ultimately, who knows, there may even be a parade.”
Tickets to attend the beachside festival are $10 and can be purchased at the door. Those interested in VIP tickets for $49 can be purchased ahead of time. VIP tickets include entrance, drink tickets, swag, a “Guac Off” tasting card, a VIP lanyard, and special drink lines.
ST. PADDY’S O’BEACH PARTY
When: Saturday, March 19 from ll a.m.-11:30 p.m.
Where: Ocean Beach Pier parking lot.
Info: StPaddysOBeachParty.com.
Live music lineup:
DJ Green T
Shakedown String Band
Doah’s Daydream
DENM
Michum Yacoub
Band of Gringos
Verigolds
