- Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Banquet on Thursday night, March 16th to start off the celebration!
The 109th annual
Friendly Sons banquet, the longest consecutive event celebrating the Patron Saint of Ireland, St. Patrick, will be held at the Front Street Station March 16th starting at 6 p.m. The Friendly Sons (and now Daughters!) was founded in 1908 by Butte residents Judge Jeremiah Lynch, Maurice English, and John H. O’Meara. Enjoy Irish music, corned beef and cabbage, great conversation, and laughter while enjoying a beverage or two.
- Crowning of St. Urho also on Thursday night, March 16th – keep the celebration going!
This year the Butte Finlanders traditional crowning of St. Urho will take place at the East Side Athletic Club, 3200 Dexter. The crowning of St. Urho starts at 6 p.m., the Great Scots will perform at 5:30, 6:30 and 10:00, and the Anaconda Pipe and Drums will be at the club at 8:30. F.O.G., a rock and dance band, will perform from 7 p.m. to midnight.
In Uptown Butte, the celebration begins Thursday night at 5 p.m. with music from the Butte Central High School pep band. For Heavens Cake Bakery will serve a giant grasshopper cake (made out of cupcakes), the Finnish throwing game of M
olkky will be set up, and another St. Urho will be crowned with the release of 2,017 balloons. Local bands, King Friday and Mile High Voltage will play throughout the night, with bagpipers making random appearances. A pub crawl will include stops at the M&M, Maloney’s, The Acoma, Goodwill Tavern, Cinz, The Times, and The Party Palace.
- Painting of the giant street shamrock on Main and Broadway at Midnight – be there for the first moment of March 17th!
Watch the painting of the giant shamrock to ring in the holiday at 12:00 a.m. Drink a green beer while experiencing a now time-honored tradition initiated and carried on by Butte’s finest men and women of Irish heritage.
- Patrick’s Day Parade
Enjoy the nationally-known Butte, America St. Patrick’s Day celebration with the St. Patrick’s Day Parade which starts on Friday March 17th at noon. Enjoy the great energy of uptown Butte with parade watchers and participants in crazy get-ups. Put on your green gear and see Butte celebrate its Irish heritage!
- No need to guzzle your drinks before venturing from bar to bar
Enjoy your drink, visit with old friend
s and make new ones while you walk throughout Uptown Butte from bar to bar, or while you sit and enjoy the parade as there is no open-container law. Get a drink to go at one of the many friendly bars or Headframe Spirits – the local distillery where you cannot beat the atmosphere or the drinks. Street vendors are also available to provide nourishment.
- The Edmonton Police Bagpipers
Enjoy the bagpipers from the Edmonton Police Service all the way from Edmonton, Canada! They not only march in the parade, but visit bars and restaurants throughout the day and night to entertain the crowds.
- Handing Down the Heritage
Butte’s own Dublin Gulch and the Tiernan Irish Dancers will be celebrating the 14th annual Handing 
Down the Heritage show at 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 17, at the Butte Civic Center, 1340 Harrison Ave. The event is a great multi-generational St. Patrick’s Day celebration with food, beverage, music, and dance. Admission is $13 for adults and $5 for students with children 13 and under free when accompanied by an adult.
- Reunite with friends, family, and meet new friends
When in good ole Butte, Montana, you will reunite with old friends you haven’t seen in a while, family members who you have missed, and you will meet plenty of new, friendly p
eople! There are many 3rd and 4th generation Irish families in Butte whose ancestors came here to work in the mines. The history in this little town is unbelievable – it is an amazing melting pot that takes pride in its founders of many nationalities. St. Paddy’s Day is a celebration of the Irish and the Irish at heart!.
- The M & M Bar and Café Livestream Online
Not only can yo
u visit the world-renowned M & M Cigar Store, but your friends and family who are unable to attend the festivities can watch the crowded bar in the full swing of St. Patrick’s Day celebration online! Go to mtstandard.com/stpats17 to enjoy the celebration from anywhere in the world.
- Bars within walking distance
There are fourteen bars within a 7-block radius in Uptown Butte where the fun never ends. The Vu Villa, The KC (Knights of Columbus), Park 217 and its Wine Bar, Headframe Spirits, The Dublin, The Times, The Party Palace, The M & M, Maloney’s, The Silver Dollar, The Acoma, The Cavalier, The Uptown, and Metals.
- It’s Fun!
You are guaranteed to enjoy your time in Butte – great people dressed in crazy, green outfits, green beer and other beverages, the parade, and all the events from Thursday through Friday night. What better city in Montana to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day than Butte, America, the most Irish city around! So come to Butte, enjoy some corned beef and cabbage with a blarney stone from the BS Café. You won’t regret it.
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Standard, P. H. (2016, March 15). Irish music, dance coming to Rialto in Deer Lodge. Retrieved March 13, 2017, from http://mtstandard.com/entertainment/irish-music-dance-coming-to-rialto-in-deer-lodge/article_c4fb7d38-93c3-57d2-9e6c-2313f380d07e.html
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By: Bailey Harper