10 Delaware St. Pat's parades, parties & shows

If you have green earmuffs, they were made for this weekend.

Wilmington will kick off a week's worth of St. Patrick's Day celebrations across the state with a pair of city traditions: the annual St. Patrick's Day parade, followed by the Shamrock Shuttle nighttime bar crawl.

And if you hoped that some of this wild, warm winter weather would continue in time to produce a balmy parade day, think again. The luck of the Irish, indeed.

Forecasters are calling for high temperatures in the mid 30s, but expect those numbers to be in the high 20s at the time of the parade's noon kick-off.

Whether you're looking for family-friendly parades, Irish-themed concerts or 21-and-over beer-stained bashes, Delaware delivers over the next week or so.

So grab your favorite trinkets, head out and celebrate. The first day of spring is March 20 and those aforementioned earmuffs will soon be retired.

Saturday, 9 a.m. St. Patrick's Day parade celebration at Mulrooney's Tavern, 201 New Road, Elsmere. facebook.com/mulrooneystavern. A hub for Irish revelers since 1943, Mulrooney's Tavern is a longtime home base for Wilmington paradegoers. Located just across the city line near the Elsmere McDonald's, the 21-and-older-only party rages both in the bar and outside under a large tent. Corned beef, ham and cabbage are paired with beer, whiskey and more while the kitchen is open (11 a.m. to 9 p.m.) Seven Rings, a four-piece Irish band that blends classic rock into their Irish folk/acoustic sets, will be the day's featured act. Led by Claymont's Pete Casey, they play from 2 to 7 p.m. The group also performs a monthly gig at Mulrooney's, which was purchased about 20 years ago by current owner Joe Quill. "We celebrate every month -- not just once a year," Quill says.

Saturday, 9 a.m. St. Patrick's Pints & Pancakes at Catherine Rooney's Irish Pub & Restaurant, 1616 Delaware Ave., Wilmington. catherinerooneys.com. If you're going to parade 'n' party, you'll need a good base in that tummy of yours. Catherine Rooney's opens early on parade day, offering an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet ($10 for adults and $5 for kids) from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., along with $2 Bud Light draft specials. Irish dancers from the Broesler School of Irish Dance and pipe and drum bands will run all day and night, including sets by McMark & Son (noon), Benny & Bill (1 p.m.), Keltic Rock Warrior (3 p.m. next door at Trolley Tap House) and Rick Daring (4 p.m.) At night, the Shamrock Shuttle loop will offer music by DJ Andrew Hugh and DJ Jay Ski. From 11 a.m. until last call, a special St. Patrick's Day menu will offer everything from corned beef/ham and cabbage to fish and chips and Shepherd’s pie.

Saturday, noon. Wilmington's 42nd annual St. Patrick's Day parade, downtown Wilmington. irishde.org. The traditional parade begins at Fourth and North King streets and heads north on King Street, ending at St. Patrick's Church at E. 14th St. Across the street from the church is the Irish Culture Club of Delaware's annual fundraising hooley, an Irish party that kicks off around the same time as the parade. Paradegoers buy a $20 commemorative glass mug and then drink beer until all the kegs are kicked. As for the weather forecast, parade chairman Patrick Kelly says, "We can take the cold. You can keep the snow and rain, but we can handle the cold."

Saturday, 2 p.m. St. Patrick's Day parade after-party at Kelly's Logan House, 1701 Delaware Ave., Wilmington. loganhouse.com. The Trolley Square area's biggest (and oldest) bar packs 'em in immediately following the parade, which usually wraps up a little after 1 p.m. The masses traditionally stream into the neighborhood and fill its bars pretty quickly. At the Logan House, outdoor bars and portable toilets are set up and plenty of live music is booked for their upstairs stage kicking off with Newark bluegrass/Irish/Americana act Chapel Street Junction from 2 to 6 p.m. Keltic Rock Warrior follows from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m with a mix of traditionals, Irish rock and classic rock. Cover band Chorduroy, led by Derek Lee "Hub" Hubbard, close starting at 10 p.m. for the Shamrock Shuttle pub crawl.

Saturday, 7 p.m. Shamrock Shuttle, 14 clubs across Wilmington. outandaboutnow.com. The annual Shamrock Shuttle will have buses zooming from bar to bar from 7 p.m. until 1 a.m. The 27th annual St. Patrick's Day loop costs $10 for a wristband, giving you access to all the clubs. This year's lineup includes 8th & Union Kitchen, Anejo, Catherine Rooney's, Chelsea Tavern, Club Lavish, Dead Presidents, Ernest & Scott Taproom, Firestone, Gallucio's, Grotto Pizza, Kelly's Logan House, Timothy's, Trolley Square Oyster House and Trolley Tap House. Warning: the loop cover charge starts as early as 3 p.m. at some bars due to it being parade day. If you're looking to avoid loop crowds, but still want to see a band or two in the city, try Brad Newsom and Ken Herblin (Newark-based acoustic rock) at Tonic Bar and Grille (111 W. 11th St.) from 8 to 11 p.m. or The Bohemian Mechanics (New Jersey-based blues/rock ) at Nomad Bar (905 N. Orange St.) from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Neither have a cover.

Thursday, March 16, 5 p.m. The Starboard's opening weekend and St. Patrick's Day party, 2009 Del. 1, Dewey Beach. thestarboard.com. It's an unholy alliance that has now become its own tradition. The Starboard's opening weekend is paired with St. Patrick's Day once again so expect plenty of mischievous leprechauns running wild at the famed watering hole. A large tent will take over the bar's parking lot for the annual bash, which runs Thursday through Sunday, March 19. Bands will include LauraLea & Tripp Fabulous (Thursday, 10 p.m.), Kristen and Johnny (Saturday, 3 p.m.) and Mr. Greengenes frontman Bryen O'Boyle (Sunday, 2 p.m.) with The Starboard's veteran crew of DJs filling in between.

Thursday, March 16, 6:30 p.m. St. Patrick's Day Society's Irish stew dinner and cocktail party, St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church, 809 S. Broom St., Wilmington. stpatrickscenter.org. It's a dinner to thank supporters and sponsors of Wilmington's St. Patrick's Center, which feeds the hungry and offers social services in the city. Tickets for the dinner and the 9 a.m. March 17 communion breakfast at the DoubleTree Hotel (700 King St.) can be purchased online, costing anywhere from $500 for two tickets to both the dinner and breakfast to $2,000 for eight dinner and 10 breakfast tickets. If you want to only attend the St. Patrick's Day breakfast, tickets are $50 each to rub elbows with the city's Irish community and politicians while helping a good cause.

Thursday, March 16, 8 p.m. Direct from Dublin, Ireland: The Five Irish Tenors, The Playhouse on Rodney Square, 1007 N. Market St., Wilmington. thegrandwilmingtonde.org. On their first American tour, the Five Irish Tenors will import both traditional and contemporary Irish music on St. Patrick's Day Eve. The ensemble, made up of David Martin, Morgan Crowley, Ciarán Kelly, Alan Leech and George Hutton, will cover everything from classics such as “Danny Boy” and “My Wild Irish Rose” to more modern tunes such as U2's “In a Lifetime." This timely show costs $33-$39.

Friday, March 17, 5 p.m., Milford's Toasting the Town: St. Patrick's Day Pub Crawl, downtown Milford. facebook.com/downtownmilfordinc. In its seventh year, this bar-hopping event pairs five downtown Milford spots with local breweries, wineries and distilleries. Instead of buying wristbands like Wilmington's Shamrock Shuttle, party people buy a commemorative t-shirt ($18-$20) for entry. Venues include It's About Time (Dogfish Head), Second Street Players/Riverfront Theater (Mispillion River Brewing and Sposato Family Vineyards), The Music School of Delaware (Beach Time Distilling), Petite Sweets (Crooked Hammock Brewery) and Lifecycle (Revelation Craft Brewing Company and Rubber Soul Brewing.)

Saturday, March 18, 6 p.m. A Very St. Patrick's Day Party at Mispillion River Brewing, 255 Mullet Run St., Milford. mispillionriverbrewing.com. Milford's beloved beer brewers will host a day-after-St. Pats party for those who need to squeeze one last drop out of the holiday weekend. Milton-based country rockers Federal Street Band, led by Bob Jones, will provide the tunes and Haass' On the Go, the Dover-based catering arm of Haass' Family Butcher Shop, will be slingin' meat. Bonus: Mispillion will debut their new Shamrock Shake mint stout.

Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).