4 Ways To Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day In Bel Air

BEL AIR, MD — St. Patrick’s Day is Friday this year. Entertainment districts in Bel Air will be swimming in Kelly green, and perhaps flashing red and blue lights if people don’t behave themselves.

And devout Catholics may have to consult their parish priest before they dig into a plate of corned beef and cabbage. But Archbishop William Lori, head of the Baltimore Catholic Diocese, said that on St. Patrick's Day, Catholics may eat meat to celebrate the occasion.

Some of the places in the Bel Air area to celebrate the March 17 holiday are:

• St. Patrick's Day 2023 at The Greene Turtle in Bel Air: $5 drink and food specials available all day Friday, $12.99 reuben & fries while supplies last.
• St. Patty's Day at Guinness with Harford Brew Tours: Join us on Saturday, March 18th as we travel to Guinness Open Gate for the Ultimate Green Shamrock Celebration. Beer, food, fun & games and music. Pick up and drop off at Fallston Barrel House. Tour times: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Goodman Guilliams Acoustic at Lib's Grill (Bel Air): The new venue will host this group in its for debut. 9 p.m. performance.
• Looney's Pub in Bel Air: The venue has bands playing Friday and Saturday, including The Shamrogues, New Brigade, Triple Rail Turn and Crushing Day.

(Add any events you know of open to the public in our comments section below!)

Officers will be on the lookout for impaired drivers Friday night in Harford County. The Harford County Sheriff's Office and Maryland State Police will hold a driving while intoxicated checkpoint on St. Patrick's Day.

• Related: Harford Sheriff's Office To Hold DWI Checkpoint March 17

Devout Catholics abstain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent, a sacrifice that recognizes Jesus’ death on the cross on a Friday. Catholics in several suburban Chicago towns can eat the traditional fare without guilt, but the Diocese of Chicago is holding firm.

Whether revelers in cities like heavily Catholic Chicago, one of the most St. Patrick-y cities in the country, go all in with the holiday staple corned beef and cabbage could come down to whether they get special dispensation from the diocese, which has been granted for Catholics in the Baltimore region.

There are numerous Lenten fish fries going on for Catholics who want to play it by the rules. A list can be found on the Baltimore diocese website.