Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Fresno? Here’s why city ranks among top 20 cities for parties

Do you have any fun plans for St. Patrick Day? Fresno is one of the 20 cities to celebrate, according to WalletHub.

The personal finance website recently ranked the Best Cities for St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations in 2025, based on holiday traditions, beer prices, weather and more.

“The best cities for St. Patrick’s Day combine rich traditions with tasty and affordable food; safe conditions to celebrate and good weather,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo wrote in a March 12 article. “Celebrating in one of these cities will increase your chances of having a memorable holiday, as long as you don’t overdo it.”

Named after the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day falls on Monday, March 17, in 2025.

WalletHub crowned Boston the king of St. Paddy’s Day festivities, thanks in part to the city’s huge St. Patrick’s Day parade and high numbers of Irish pubs and restaurants.

“Boston is the fifth-most Irish city in the U.S. in terms of ancestry,” the site said, with more than 13% of the city’s residents claiming Irish roots.

Reno, Nevada, came in second place among the top cities for St Patrick’s Day enthusiasts, due to its “vibrant nightlife,” low beer prices and leprechaun-themed events, WalletHub said, while Savannah, Georgia, was third.

Here’s where Fresno ranked:

Why is Fresno one of the best cities for St. Patrick’s Day?

Fresno was No. 15 on WalletHub’s list of the best cities for St. Patrick’s Day partiers, with a total score of 59.38 out of 100.

The Central Valley city scored well in terms of affordability, coming in 13th place.

It also ranked relatively high for St. Patrick’s Day weather, claiming the No. 40 spot.

Fresno ranked lower in other categories, ranking No. 64 for safety and accessibility and No. 82 for St. Patrick’s Day traditions.

Which other California cities made the list?

WalletHub’s list of the best places for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations included a total of 45 California cities.

Although Fresno wasn’t the highest ranking California city on WalletHub’s list — that honor went to Santa Rosa at No. 4 — it landed higher than Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego.

San Francisco was No. 18, while Modesto was No. 28 and Thousand Oaks was No. 35.

Lower on the list, Elk Grove was No. 60, San Diego was 61 and Sacramento was No. 100. Los Angeles landed toward the bottom at No. 136.

What are the best US cities to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

These were the 10 best cities to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in the United States, according to WalletHub:

1. Boston
2. Reno, in Nevada
3. Savannah, Georgia
4. Santa Rosa
5. Worcester, Massachusetts
6. Chicago
   
   
7. New York City
8. Henderson, Nevada
9. Buffalo, New York
10. Pittsburgh

What are the worst cities for St. Patrick’s parties?

These were the 10 worst cities for St. Patrick’s Day oarties in the United States, according to WalletHub:

1. Patterson, New Jersey
2. Miramar, Florida
3. Bellevue, Washington
4. Anchorage, Alaska
5. Santa Clarita, California
6. Albuquerque, New Mexico
7. Hialeah, Florida
8. Pomona
9. Miami
10. Pembroke Pines, Florida

How did WalletHub come up with rankings?

WalletHub compared 200 of the most populated U.S. cities across four key dimensions: St. Patrick’s Day traditions, costs, safety and Accessibility and St. Patrick’s Day weather.

Those dimensions were then evaluated using a total of 15 metrics including:

• St. Patrick’s Day parades

• Share of Irish population

• Irish pubs and restaurants per Capita

• Average beer price

• Traffic congestion

• Walkability

• Forecasted precipitations for St. Patrick’s Day

Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing “the best conditions for celebrating the holiday,” the site said.

WalletHub then calculated the overall score for each city to complete its rankings.

Data came from sources including AccuWeather, Kayak.com, Yelp and the FBI, U.S. Census Bureau and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Fernanda Galan

The Fresno Bee

559-441-6005

Fernanda Galan covers Central Valley and California news as The Fresno Bee’s service journalism reporter. Before joining The Bee in 2024, she reported in Milwaukee, Arizona and Los Angeles. She is a graduate of Arizona State’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.