Food Specials, Music, Events For St. Patrick's Day In Wayne

WAYNE, NJ — St. Patrick’s Day is on a Friday this year. Bars and restaurants in Wayne will be swimming in Kelly green, and perhaps flashing red and blue lights if people don’t behave themselves.

Devout Catholics don't have to consult their parish priest before they dig into a plate of corned beef and cabbage, but still may want to hit up a fish fry just to stick to tradition.

The Irish and Irish-American spirit is strong in New Jersey, with more than 13 percent claiming Irish ancestry in the Garden State according to the US Census Bureau’s 2016-2020 American Community Survey. Last year, legislators approved legislation designating March as “Irish-American Heritage Month” in New Jersey.

There are about 32,859 residents of Passaic County who claim Irish ancestry, or about 6.3 percent of the county population.

Some of the places in Wayne to celebrate the March 17 holiday are:

• Annual St. Patrick's Day Dinner, hosted by Anthony Wayne American Legion Post 104. Friday from noon-8 p.m. Hosting a corned beef and cabbage dinner, $15 for a dinner plate and $10 for a sandwich plate. Desserts and refreshments also available, while supplies last. Eat in or take to-go.
• Dinner specials and entertainment are on the menu at Grasshopper Too, Lakeside Restaurant and Bar, Greenhouse Bar and Grill, and The Taphouse — reservations are probably a good idea.
• Must Love Dogs is having pet pictures with the Easter Bunny on Saturday, March 18 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., which fits in with the theme of spring.
• The Knights of Columbus are hosting a St. Patrick's Day celebration and dinner which required pre-registration (but we included it in case any attendees need a link to information).
• Yankee Candle at Willowbrook Mall is hosting a St. Patrick's Day scavenger hunt during store hours through Friday, with festive in-store activities and the chance to get $5 off your purchase.

Devout Catholics abstain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent, a sacrifice that recognizes Jesus’ death on the cross on a Friday — hence the popularity of fish fries. But Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney of the Diocese of Paterson gave North Jersey Catholics the okay to eat meat.

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.