St Patricks Day: North London pub crowned best boozer as celebrations stretch across the city
st patricks day falls on March 17, 2026 (ET), and a north London Irish pub known for its trad nights and a very good pint of Guinness has been named the top boozer in the city for the occasion. The pub in Stoke Newington leads a short list of the best Irish pubs across London, with southern spots and Tottenham also highlighted. The wider debate — whether the feast should remain a single-day celebration or become a week- or month-long festival — is already playing out in venues across the capital.
St Patricks Day pub picks
The Stoke Newington institution crowned first hosts regular trad music nights, shows all the major Irish sporting fixtures and is singled out for serving a very good pint of Guinness. Close behind, Skehans in Nunhead is ranked second; that venue is described as rowdier and recently hosted a gig by the band The Pogues. Third is the Blythe Hill Tavern in Catford, noted for its three small wood-panelled rooms. Fourth on the list is Mannion’s Prince Arthur in Tottenham, which features a striking oil painting of the pub owners riding a horse through the Irish countryside.
Weekend expansion and festival creep in the city
Across London, organisers and hospitality operators are stretching celebrations beyond the single feast day. In the capital, events tied to the feast appear over several days, with some listings staged before March 17. One venue in Covent Garden will run a week of Irish food and drink offerings; a named London restaurant is planning a similar week-long programme. Another venue is staging a month-long St Patrick’s celebration with flowing pints of Guinness, Jameson serves, Irish comfort dishes, and a packed entertainment line-up that includes a St Patrick’s brunch and a Kunst Kabaret on March 17, 2026 (ET).
An opinion piece in the capital argued that St Patrick’s Day celebrations are best kept to a single day, warning that stretching the feast risks diluting its character. That commentary notes how events in other cities can form longer festivals: in Dublin the weekend begins on the 14th and culminates on the 17th with a parade led by Vogue Williams, while New York follows a similar pattern. Political dimensions are touched on too, with the Democratic Unionist Party highlighted as having complained that celebrations are extending into longer periods.
What to expect and what comes next
For those planning where to mark st patricks day in London on March 17, 2026 (ET), the list of top pubs concentrates options from north to south: Stoke Newington’s top-ranked pub, Nunhead’s Skehans, Catford’s Blythe Hill Tavern and Tottenham’s Mannion’s Prince Arthur are singled out for atmosphere, music and, in one case, notable decor. Elsewhere, several venues will push offerings across multiple days or even a month, featuring pints of Guinness, Irish food and scheduled entertainment on and around the feast.
Expect event listings and hospitality promotions to remain active through the weekend and to attract scrutiny from those who argue the feast should stay a single-day observance. Organisers, pub managers and venues with planned programming will determine whether the city treats March 17, 2026 (ET) as a one-day peak or the culmination of a longer period of St Patrick’s Day celebrations.
