St. Patrick’s Day on Lanzarote is more than just a fantastic afternoon. The festive spirit lasts all week, with many visitors arriving specifically for the days leading up to the Saint’s Day. Here’s what you can expect from some of Puerto del Carmen’s most popular Irish pubs:
The festivities kick off on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 11th, with the opening of the Cheltenham Festival. This marks the start of four days of thrilling racing, featuring seven races each afternoon and culminating in the iconic Gold Cup on Friday.
Cheltenham has long shared a special bond with Ireland, and local pubs and bars will be fully immersed in the action, showing every race live.
A bar that’s sure to be full of atmosphere during the week is Nelly’s Bar in the little square of CC Olivín, tucked away just off Calle Juan Carlos I in the Old Town. Owners Gerry & Rebecca say that the racing from Cheltenham will be shown all the week with live music every evening, and all day on the St. Patrick’s weekend.
St. Patrick’s isn’t the only thing that Nelly’s celebrates this month, as it is also their 20th anniversary on the 19th. Congratulations!
They will also have a stall open down at the harbour this year. And don’t forget that Rebecca will be serving her famous cabbage and bacon for free from 5pm to 6pm at the bar. Be sure to save yourself a plate before it’s all gone!
On Puerto del Carmen’s “strip”, the ever-popular Murphy’s Irish Pub has got a packed calendar for this St. Patrick’s too. You can find them along the Avenida de las Playas, at C.C. La Playa, on the corner of Calle Guanapay. Owner Jordan and the team at Murphy’s have organised a great selection of Irish musicians to perform at the bar across the Cheltenham & St. Patrick’s festivities, starting from March 11th and running until the big day on the 17th.
And don’t forget to join them down at the harbour, of course, where they’ll be in high spirits and dancing away to the live acts.
Calle Anzuelo will also be turning green this month – thanks to David, Catherine and Bradley at Maguires Irish Bar & Restaurant, who have planned a full schedule for the Cheltenham Festival & St. Patrick’s celebrations.
You can expect live music every night from Maguires’ resident musicians as well as a special guest appearance from Dessie Hynes on Tuesday the 18th.
You best get there early though, as the bar is sure to fill up quickly as the craic gets going.
The Bhoys Bar are a new addition to Puerto del Carmen, which opened last year. “We just opened the bar and learned on our feet”, owners Michelle & Brian told us. It’s safe to say they certainly landed on their feet, and they continue to go from strength to strength.
They’ll be taking part in the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations at the Plaza del Varadero, as they did last year, with pints a plenty and tasty snacks to match.
At the Bhoys Bar the celebrations will start on the 11th with the opening of the Cheltenham Festival and will run right through to the 17th. You can expect live performances throughout but look out for Joey Bracken who will be live on Paddy’s night from 10pm to midnight.
Find them in the Old Town at Calle Juan Carlos I, 6b (next to the Supermarket Playa Blanca.)
One of the most well-known and longest standing Irish establishments in Puerto del Carmen, Craic n’ Ceol, celebrates its 30th anniversary this month – and celebrate they will – in great fashion and style.
Their 30th anniversary, paired with the arrival of St. Patrick’s Day, ensures that Craic n’ Ceol will have a jam-packed schedule this month with plenty of local Irish acts set to perform.
Ryan Chapman and the team at Craic n’ Ceol have scheduled live music every day this month & from 3pm on both the 16th and 17th.
You can find them at Calle Jameos, 5 (next to the Biosfera shopping centre.)
Áine and Nathan re-opened the bar formerly known as Spenders in 2018, renaming it The Bucket List. Seven successful years down the line The Bucket List is going strong as is their latest venture “Fire House” which opened in December 2023.
Both bars will be celebrating the Cheltenham Festival & St. Patrick’s, of course. Fire House will have live music on the 17th from 1pm and a live DJ set from 9pm onwards – and The Bucket List will have live music from 6pm.
You’ll find the team from both bars down at the Plaza del Varadero on the 17th, manning the stall and serving lots of eager customers.
You can find The Bucket List at Calle Anzuelo, 5 & Fire House at Calle Roque del Este (in the C.C. Playa Blanca, opposite the Fariones hotel.)
Another new addition to Puerto del Carmen, owners Brendan & Michelle opened The Aul Shillelagh on Calle Reina Sofía last June.
This will be The Aul Shillelagh’s first St. Patrick’s Day as a new bar, and you can be sure that Brendan, Michelle & the team will be celebrating it in style. The bar sports a pool table, darts board, & large TV’s so that you won’t miss any of the action during the Cheltenham Festival.
And it wouldn’t be an Irish bar without live music, of course, which you can expect every night from the 11th up to St. Patrick’s Day.
One of the powerhouses behind St. Patrick’s Day events on Lanzarote has been Brendan Byrne, landlord of Dicey Reilly’s pub near the Biosfera Shopping Centre. Last year the Irish pub celebrated its 10th anniversary.
Prior to last year’s St. Patrick’s celebrations, Brendan had organised the whole thing virtually single-handed and was the driving force behind the hugely successful event.
Managing such a huge event largely on your own is a daunting task, and with a bar of his own to look after, Brendan sought help from local event organisers. The result of which made last year’s St. Patrick’s Day festival the most successful on record, with more visitors than ever before.
Although Brendan has shared the load, you can be sure to see him at the Plaza del Varadero across St. Patrick’s weekend and on the day itself.
Dicey Reilly’s will be busy too – with plenty of live acts over St. Patrick’s weekend after the Cheltenham Festival, and from 3pm on St. Patrick’s Day. The bar is sure to be busy, so make sure you get yourself down there before it fills up!
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!