Walt Disney World celebrates St. Patrick’s Day with snacks, drinks & desserts, and a pinch of special entertainment you can catch if you’re lucky in some of the restaurants. In this guide to Saint Paddy’s Day 2024, we’ll share tips for enjoying the special festivities plus full food menus for the parks & resorts.
First, we don’t want to oversell Saint Patrick’s Day as a holiday or special event at Walt Disney World. It’s not even remotely on par with Christmas or Halloween. Honestly, it’s not even as big of a deal as Easter, which is also a small-scale holiday celebrated in March. (Speaking of which, see our Guide to Easter 2024 at Walt Disney World for everything you need to know about that.)
You will not see St. Patrick’s Day decorations in the parks or resorts. There are no parades. Cinderella Castle isn’t painted green for the day. And, as cool as it’d be, the water in the moat around the castle isn’t dyed green for the day. When it comes to celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, Walt Disney World has nothing on Chicago, Boston, or Philadelphia.
From a practical perspective, the biggest thing you need to know about St. Patrick’s Day at Walt Disney World is that it’ll be busy. Very busy. This actually has very little (if anything) to do with the holiday itself, and everything to do with St. Patrick’s Day coinciding with Spring Break for Central Florida school districts.
As has been covered at length in our Spring Break 2024 Crowd Calendar for Walt Disney World, we are forecasting the stretch from March 15 to 31, 2024 to be among the worst of the year at Walt Disney World. St. Patrick’s Day is still towards the beginning of that so maybe it won’t be terrible (think 8/10 crowds instead of 10+/10 levels), but it’ll definitely be busy. Especially at EPCOT.
Suffice to say, we highly recommend arriving early, staying late, and beating bad crowds by utilizing Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, Early Entry, etc. We cover the best & worst approach for each park in Best Time-Saving Strategies for Walt Disney World. There are great ways to beat the crowds–even on busy days–without buying Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lanes.
Of course, you could just go to EPCOT and Drink Around the World for St. Patrick’s Day, blissfully oblivious to the long lines (well, except for the beer carts and Flower & Garden Festival booths) and high wait times for rides. That’s not a bad plan, either.
I actually did EPCOT last year on Saint Patrick’s Day. To be honest, it was total coincidence. I was there to test touring strategy, and completely forgot it was St. Patrick’s Day. I wore all-blue like a doofus, a move I instantly regretted upon boarding the bus to the park. I would’ve dressed appropriately but also avoided EPCOT had I known it was St. Patrick’s Day, worried it would’ve been chaotic, crowded, and too much of a party scene. I’m somewhat glad I didn’t know, as the actual atmosphere at EPCOT was downright delightful.
For St. Patrick’s Day festivities and fun in EPCOT, we recommend visiting the Rose & Crown Pub & Dining Room or the UK Beer Cart when you’re exploring EPCOT. Here, you’ll find green beer or cider. Just be warned that the line to get inside the pub is often long. The beer cart will also have long lines, but should be more efficient. So plan on either doing Rose & Crown early (it’s a good stop after rope dropping Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure), or waiting.
One thing that made the mood was that ~25% of guests were wearing leprechaun Mickey Mouse shirts (it felt like I missed a memo) with the majority wearing green of some sort. You can find green shamrock/leprechaun Minnie & Mickey Mouse shirts at Amazon, Walmart, Kohl’s, Hot Topic–and probably a bunch of other stores.
However, I didn’t see a single one of these shirts actually at Walt Disney World. It’s possible that I just missed it, but I don’t remember ever seeing any in previous years, either. So my biggest piece of advice for St. Patrick’s Day at Walt Disney World would simply be to buy one of those shirts before you arrive. It’s worth it, in my opinion, to be part of the fun.
Beyond that, the vibe at EPCOT on St. Patrick’s Day was phenomenal. Rather than being a party scene, it was convivial and family-friendly; the perfect atmosphere for a holiday at Walt Disney World. We often avoid weekends at EPCOT during Food & Wine Festival because there are too many college students and drinking around the world ‘teams,’ but I didn’t see much of that on St. Patrick’s Day. (Granted, it was a Friday last year instead of a weekend, so that could make a difference.)
Regardless, I’ll be sure to actively partake next time by wearing my own Leprechaun shirt–but one featuring Warwick Davis, not Mickey Mouse.
When it comes to St. Patrick’s Day pubs, the other big one at Walt Disney World is Raglan Road at Disney Springs. This is the Irish pub at Walt Disney World–with portions of the pub actually sourced from or built by craftsmen in Ireland and shipped to Florida. We absolutely love Raglan Road. (All of the food is good to great, but the Bread & Butter Pudding is absolutely not to be missed.)
The 2024 Mighty St. Patrick’s Festival is held March 14-17, 2024 at Raglan Road. During these festivities, award-winning imported Irish Bands and the Raglan Road Irish Dancers will rock the restaurant, with lots of food, drinks, and entertainment. Some of the best entertainers are flown in right from the Emerald Isle or brought to Disney Springs just for the festival.
This year’s lineup of live music will feature trad tunes, modern Irish songs and plenty of fiddling! Some of the acts include Strings & Things: a trad/folk/roots crossover band from Tipperary and Galway; Men of Aran: legends of the Irish trad world; and we can’t forget about The Raglan Road Irish Dancers! Selected from the casts and stages of the world’s greatest Irish dance shows, the fan-favorite dancers will perform throughout the festival.
Reservations are encouraged for guests who plan to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at Raglan Road, where they can lift a pint, sip a cocktail, and dine on authentic contemporary Irish cuisine beginning on March 14, 2024. On St. Patrick’s Day only, March 17, Raglan Road will open at 9 a.m. with a $20 cover charge for guests 18 and older; (first-come, first-served—no reservations on this day only); younger patrons may enter free of charge. Visit Raglan Road’s official Mighty St. Patrick’s Day Festival for more info & reservations.
Speaking of food, let’s take a look at all of the food coming to Walt Disney World this St. Patrick’s Day…
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Gasparilla Island Grill (Available March 1 through 31; mobile order available)
- Irish Cream Cheesecake: Bailey’s Irish Cream cheesecake with Chantilly cream and gold ‘coins’ (New)
Disney’s Beach Club Resort
Beaches & Cream Soda Shop (Available March 1 through 17)
- Mickey Shamrock Milkshake: Mint milkshake with chocolate drizzle, shamrock sprinkles, and a specialty vanilla cupcake (Non-alcoholic beverage)
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Roaring Fork (Available March 1 through 17; mobile order available)
- The Nugget: Vanilla bean mousse, stout cake, and a salted caramel ganache center
Available at Various Locations at Disney Resort Hotels
- Pot O’ Gold Mousse: Irish stout cake, Irish cream mousse, and a candy rainbow (Available March 1 through 17 at the following):
- Beach Club Marketplace at Disney’s Beach Club Resort
- BoardWalk Deli at Disney’s BoardWalk
- Good’s Food to Go at Disney’s Old Key West Resort
- The Artist’s Palette at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
- The Market at Ale & Compass at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
- Lucky (Plant-based) Clover Cupcake: Chocolate cupcake with a golden vanilla buttercream swirl and shamrock sprinkles (Plant-based) (Available March 1 through 31 at the following):
- World Premiere Food Court at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
- Intermission Food Court at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
- End Zone Food Court at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
- Landscape of Flavors at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
- Centertown Market at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
- Spyglass Grill at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
- Everything POP Shopping & Dining at Disney’s Pop Century Resort
- Riverside Mill Food Court at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
- Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
Disney Springs
Amorette’s Patisserie (Available March 1 through 17; mobile order available)
- End of the Rainbow Crème Brûlée: Chocolate and coffee crème brûlée with Bailey’s Irish Cream whipped cream (New)
D-Luxe Burger (Available March 1 through 18; mobile order available)
- St Patrick’s Day Shake: Vanilla gelato blended with dark caramel sauce, Irish cream syrup, and toasted marshmallow syrup topped with whipped cream, caramel, and green sprinkles (Non-alcoholic beverage)
City Works Eatery & Pour House (Available March 13 through 17)
- Shepherd’s Pie Flatbread: Stewed seasoned beef, roasted garlic purée, peas, mozzarella, mashed potatoes, and green onion
- Pastrami Reuben: House-made pastrami, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing, and bacon-braised sauerkraut on marble rye
- Irish Mac N’ Cheese: Caramelized cabbage, beer-braised onions, bacon lardons, shredded corned beef, beer cheese sauce, smoked cheddar, garlic herb crumble, and cavatappi
- Jameson Honey Mule: Jameson, lemon juice, honey syrup, orange bitters, and ginger beer
- Lucky Grasshopper: Bailey’s Irish Cream Liqueur, crème de menthe, heavy cream, and lucky marshmallow
- Dark Side of The Moon: Blue Moon Belgian White and Guinness
- Snakebite: Angry Orchard Crisp Apple and Guinness
- Voodoo: Rubaeus and Guinness
The Ganachery
- St. Patty’s Mickey Chocolate Piñata: Dark chocolate piñata filled with chocolate treats (Available March 1 through 17)
- Irish Cream Ganache Square: Bailey’s Irish Cream ganache enrobed in milk chocolate (Available March 1 through 31)
Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop (Currently available)
- Mint Bliss Hot Fudge Sundae: Mint chocolate chip and chocolate ice cream layered with handmade dark chocolate hot fudge and topped with whipped cream and a dark chocolate mint square
Swirls on the Water (Available March 1 through April 30)
- St. Patrick’s Day Cone: Pistachio and chocolate soft-serve swirled in a black vanilla cone with shamrock sprinkles and a chocolate Mickey garnish (New)
- Chocolate and Coffee Float: Pistachio soft-serve, chocolate soft-serve, Joffrey’s Coffee Cold Brew, and shamrock sprinkles (New) (Non-alcoholic beverage)
- Cold Brew-Pistachio-Mocha Float: Pistachio and chocolate soft-serve swirled together with Joffrey’s Coffee Cold Brew and Bailey’s Irish Cream Liqueur (New)
Vivoli il Gelato (Available March 1 through April 30)
- Seasonal Shake: Mint chocolate chip and pistachio gelato with whipped cream and chocolate shavings
- Guinness Tiramisu: Mascarpone cream with layers of Guinness-soaked lady fingers (New)
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
If you’ve previously visited Walt Disney World for St. Patrick’s Day, what was your experience? Have you gone to Raglan Road for the Mighty St. Patrick’s Festival? What about Rose & Crown for green beer? Have your own special shirts for Saint Patrick’s Day in the parks? Thoughts about anything else covered here? If you’re a frequent visitor during the Spring Break/Saint Paddy’s timeframe, what’s your take on crowds, wait times, seasonal spirit, weather, etc? Agree or disagree with my assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
