Top Family-Friendly St. Patrick's Day Celebrations In Philadelphia

Even if your name isn't Shane or Sinead, everybody's Irish on St. Patrick's Day in the City of Brotherly Love. Philadelphia's Irish taverns offer adults great places to party, but plenty of wholesome events are available for your little leprechauns, too. From live entertainment and parades to confections and scavenger hunts, Philadelphia is the ideal city for youngsters to be Irish for a day. Check out these top ways for kids to celebrate the green in the Philadelphia area.

Philadelphia St. Patrick's Day Parade
Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, PA 19103
www.philadelphiastpatsparade.com

Price: free
Date: March 10 – 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The Philadelphia St. Patrick's Day Parade ranks as one of the city's premiere winter events. The first one was organized in 1771, five years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Today, the grand spectacle features more than 150 marching bands, youth groups, dance troupes and Irish organizations. Spectators line up by the hundreds of thousands along Benjamin Franklin Parkway to view elaborate floats and 20,000 marchers bedecked in their greenest finery.

Great Narberth Leprechaun Hunt
Forrest Avenue and Haverford Avenue
Narberth, PA 19072
www.narberthonline.com

Price: free
Date: March 16 – 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Kids and adults alike may get in the St. Patty's Day spirit at the sixth annual Great Narberth Leprechaun Hunt. Sponsored by the Narberth Business Association, this yearly event in which children hunt for leprechauns and treats in shops all around town draws swarms of families. Kids start the fun by receiving an empty pot o' gold and a game card from the Blarney Booth. Once they have discovered all 10 little green men, your leprechaun hunters return to the booth to earn a final prize. Storytelling, music and Irish dance performances add to the day's festivities.

Related: Narberth Dickens Festival In Narberth PA – Kidcast Photos

Peanut Butter & Jams
World Cafe Live
3025 Walnut St.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
(215) 222-1400
tickets.worldcafelive.com

Price: $10 adults/$7 children ages 1 to 12
Date: March 16 – 11:30 a.m.

Celebrate St. Patty's Day weekend with the Peanut Butter and Jams concert series at the World Cafe Live. Key Wilde and Mr. Clarke are guaranteed to rock the house with their delightful mix of humor, visuals and original songs. The musical duo began composing quirky children's songs in the 1990s that the whole family can enjoy. Guitar playing, tight vocals and upbeat lyrics about memorable characters will make this a St. Patty's Day to remember.

Related: Guide To Downtown Philadelphia

Commodore John Barry USN Irish Center
6815 Emlen St.
Philadelphia, PA 19119
(215) 843-8051
www.theirishcenter.com

Price: free
Date: March 10 – 1 p.m.

If your mini-me would rather make music than simply listen to it, then the Irish Center is the place to be on March 10. The Next Generations Young Musicians Session invites musicians of all ages, skill levels and instruments to join in the fun. During the first hour, participants break up into small groups and learn one or two Irish tunes by ear. Then, the musicians rejoin in front of the fireplace for a rip-roaring rendition of their newly-learned melodies.

Shane Candies
110 Market St.
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 922-1048
www.shanecandies.com

Kids can't celebrate the green without indulging in some decadent Irish potatoes, a St. Patty's Day tradition in Philadelphia. Shane Candies makes this misleadingly-named treat with a delicious filling rolled in cinnamon. For another Irish confection, try the yummy barley sugar toy candies made from antique molds owned by the original Mr. Shane. While at the shop, branch out from spud candies and sample Shane's irresistible dark, milk, mint and white chocolates.

Susan DeFeo has been a professional writer since 1997. She served as a community events columnist for New Jersey's "Cape May County Herald" for more than a decade. A writer for numerous online publications, Susan has covered health, fitness, beauty and travel, all subjects that are near and dear to her as a married mother of seven children. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.