Chugging green beer isn’t at the top of everyone’s St. Patrick’s Day activity list, especially when there are kids in your entourage. Keep debauchery at bay and check out one of these events instead, all fit for families and full of holiday cheer!
For Big Families
St. Patrick’s Open Day
T
omorrow, noon to 5 p.m.
Short films, step-dancing and bites of traditional Irish salt bread are all part of the annual festivities at the Irish Arts Center. Highlights planned for tomorrow include an introductory Irish language class for adults, and tin-whistle workshops for both grown-ups and kids. “It’s a very easy instrument to learn how to play,” says Rachael Gilkey, director of programming and education at the center. “You can come on Sunday, learn a tune, and then show off to your family and friends next week!” Tin whistles will be on sale for $10.
Irish Arts Center, 553 W. 51st St.; 212-757-3318, irishartscenter.org. Free; all ages
For History Buffs
Irish New York Walking Tour; today, 11 a.m.
Comfy shoes are advised for this two-hour walk downtown, from Big Onion Walking Tours. “The driving question for this tour is, ‘Why is St. Patrick’s Day such a big deal?’” says Big Onion founder Seth Kamil. Stops include the Five Points neighborhood and Foley Square, where many early Irish immigrants once lived, and the “Marble Palace” built by Irish entrepreneur A.T. Stewart in 1846 as the world’s first department store. “We start off at one of the most controversial sites,” Kamil says of the meeting place in front of St. Paul’s Chapel, an Episcopalian church. “People think of the Irish as only Catholic, but in reality there were large numbers of Irish people who were both Catholic and Protestant living in New York at the time of the American Revolution.”
Starts at St. Paul’s Chapel, 209 Broadway; 888-606-6255, bigonion.com. $15 and $20; all ages
For Sober Adults
Sober St. Patrick’s Day
Today, 3 to 6 p.m.
St. Regis HS will open its doors to partygoers young and old for an afternoon of live music, dancing and comedy, sans alcohol. The idea for the booze-free bash struck founder Bill Reilly two years ago as he saw the tipsy crowd at Manhattan’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. “I thought, ‘What if we had a rip-roaring party without alcohol, and did it to really show the best of Irish culture?’ ” Performers include button-accordion player John Whelan, actor Malachy McCourt and 10-year-old fiddle sensation Haley Richardson.
St. Regis HS, 55 E. 84th St., soberstpatricksday.org. $12; all ages
For Budding Chefs
Cupcake Kids: St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes; today, 9 a.m.
Family culinary destination Taste Buds Kitchen’s weekly Cupcake Kids class is going green. “We’re making St. Patrick’s Day clover cupcakes,” says Taste Buds Kitchen owner Jessi Walter Brelsford. The nut-free bakery will outfit each young chef with an apron, and walk them through baking cupcakes from scratch. Green icing and other edible decorations will top the confections. “They’ll have one here to eat and then they take one home in a cute box,” Belsford says.
Taste Buds Kitchen, 109 W. 27th St.; 212-242-2248, tastebudskitchen.com. $45 per child; ages 2 to 8
For Littlest Lads & Lassies
Imagine a Day in Ireland!
Today and tomorrow, 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
With small St. Paddy’s Day revelers in mind, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum is hosting two days of Irish-themed crafts and education events. Through storytelling, music and performance, staffers will teach kids about Irish culture, helping them imagine what life is like in Ireland. Kids will make a craft to take home. “I’m sure it’s shamrock-related and green, of course,” says museum spokeswoman Rhea Smith. “And I’m sure there’s going to be glitter there. There’s always glitter!”
Brooklyn Children’s Museum, 145 Brooklyn Ave.; 718-735-4400, brooklynkids.org; $9; ages 2½ to 5
More Family Friendly St. Patrick’s Day Fun!
Macy’s Sunday Story Time: St. Patrick’s Day
Kids are invited to enjoy a holiday reading of “The St. Patrick’s Day Shillelagh” by Janet Nolan.
Tomorrow, 11:30 a.m., New-York Historical Society Museum and Library, 170 Central Park West; 212-873-3400, nyhistory.org, kids, $5; adults, $15.
Ages 4 to 7
St. Patrick’s Day Luck
Author Yvonne Brooks will read Ul De Rico’s “The Rainbow Goblins” and lead a rainbow-making craft session.
Today, 11:30 a.m., McNally Jackson Books, 52 Prince St.; 212-274-1106, mcnallyjackson.com, free.
All ages
Green All Over Shamrock Collage and Irish Step Dancing with Darrah Carr Dance
Kids can make a collage filled with four-leaf clovers while all ages are invited to a high-energy Irish dance performance. They’ll be horseshoe decorating, too!
Tomorrow, various times, Children’s Museum of Manhattan, 212 W. 83rd St.; 212-721-1223, cmom.org, $11.
Ages 4 and under
A Tribute to the Tredwells’ Irish Servants
Catch a glimpse of the quarters where Irish servants once lived at the historic Merchant’s House.
Tomorrow, noon and 2 and 4 p.m., Merchant’s House Museum, 29 E. Fourth St.; 212-777-1089; merchantshouse.org, $10, children under 12, free.
All ages
St. Patrick’s Day at Chef Toni’s
Chefs-in-training will whip up Irish stew and “Shamrock Shakes” — and they’ll also get to meet Super Bowl champ and former New York Giant Brandon Bing.
Today, 2 p.m., Chef Toni’s Cooking Adventures, 150 W. 92nd St.; 646-682-7769, cheftoniscookingadventures.com, $75.
Ages 6 to 11
St. Patrick’s Day: Greening the City
Kids will learn what makes a building green and work together on a model design.
Today, 10:30 a.m., Skyscraper Museum, 39 Battery Place; 212-968-1961, skyscraper.org, $5.
Ages 7 to 14