Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and bring luck to your business with fun and swag!
By Ross Bielema
Read Time: 3 minutes
Posted: February 23, 2026
Saints be praised! All attention is focused on the Emerald Isle March 17th, the day everyone is Irish and the luck and magic of leprechauns are upon us.
Whether you wear head-to-toe green garb and a green top hat or just sip a green beer at the corner pub, you’re sure to have much mirth and merriment during this light-hearted celebration of Irish culture.
History of St. Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick’s Day originally started in Ireland to honor St. Patrick, a 5th-century missionary and patron saint, it’s changed from a religious feast day marking his death to a global celebration of Irish culture. It became an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century and is a public holiday in Ireland.
The irony of St. Patrick, credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland, was that he wasn’t from Ireland at all: He was born in Wales. He is credited with chasing away the snakes from the island nation, even though there is no evidence that Ireland has ever had native snakes. There are two facts to win your next Irish trivia contest!
When March 17 falls during a weekday, some restaurants and businesses may
celebrate St. Patrick’s Day
the weekend after. However, many will serve special Irish meals and offer green beer and other specialty drinks the weekend before and the actual day itself.
St. Patrick’s parades are popular around the country, drawing huge crowds. One of the most famous traditions is the long-standing event of dyeing the Chicago River green opens in new window, taking place in Chicago, Illinois. Chicago’s parade on the same day is one of the largest in the nation.
Bring the Irish spirit to your business
Restaurants, bars and other gathering spots can stock up on Irish décor such as shamrocks, leprechauns and more to set the mood. And top off the atmosphere with green napkins, coasters and beads! You can find a bunch of custom St. Patrick’s Day swag here, including foam top hats, chocolate coins, low-cost green beer steins and more!
Businesses of any size can share the Irish spirit with employees and customers. Encourage the wearing o’ the green on St. Patty’s Day and the whole week!
Serve Irish coffee or green drinks like matcha lattes. Have a potluck featuring corned beef and cabbage, Irish stew and other traditional dishes, or feature green treats like grapes, green cupcakes, lime Jell-O® avocado dip and green jelly beans.
Share the luck o’ the Irish
Is your town planning a St. Patrick’s Day parade? If your business has a float or other community presence, throw out beads, retro sunglasses, shamrock magnets and other festive branded giveaways.
Other ideas include playing Irish music, hosting an Irish dance contest or a shamrock scavenger hunt, featuring shamrock-shaped clues hidden around the office that lead to a prize! Build some camaraderie by having teams compete to find the pot-o-gold. Then hand out lucky wooden nickels, shamrock keychains or other fun gifts.
These interactive activities not only celebrate the holiday but also strengthen team spirit and brand loyalty.
Every staffer gets his Irish reward
Make sure every staffer receives a token of appreciation. A green novelty pen with an Irish message like, “A light heart lives long” or “Fortune favors the brave.” is a simple but meaningful gesture. Or hand out another small token to mark the day, like a Neon Fidget Spinner or relaxing stress reliever such as the lime green MopTopper Goofy Stress Reliever.
There are so many fun ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, but whatever you do for your patrons or staff, they’ll appreciate the gesture and will look forward to next year’s festivities!
“May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow.” Find the perfect Irish quotes opens in new window to decorate the office or keep them smiling. “The luck of the Irish is with you today!”
Ross Bielema
Ross Bielema is a seasoned SEO marketing specialist at 4imprint, based in Oshkosh, WI, a title he’s held for the past 16 years. He previously was a copywriter here, crafting everything from headlines and company letters to e-mails and faxes. Boosting web presence and organic ranking creatively for one of North America’s top promotional merchandise distributors comes easily because of his combined 38 years of journalism experience. This includes freelance writing for local media outlets such as the Shawano (WI) Leader newspaper, expanding his experience beyond digital marketing into broader content creation. Ross brings a unique blend of marketing acumen, content creation talent and community engagement to his work at 4imprint.