St. Patrick's Day Parties

Before we get started with what's happening on St. Patrick's big day, here's a word of advice: SoberRide. Between 4 p.m. March 17 and 4 a.m. March 18, you can get a free ride home if you dial 1-800-200-TAXI.

Now, on with the show. Even if you're not Irish, there's a good chance you're heading out to one of the area's pubs. Some tips: No matter which bar you're going to, arrive early. Lines can grow unmanageable by happy hour, and you may wind up waiting outside for some time. Because the holiday falls on a Friday this year, expect the lines to stretch long into the night. (You may want to make backup plans to meet friends at a non-Irish bar nearby if it looks like you won't get in.) Make sure you have enough money, as paying with plastic can slow the bar down, and some of the larger bars, such as Four Green Fields, go cash-only for the day. If you need to sit down (especially for medical reasons), call ahead -- a number of bars on this list are removing most, if not all, of their seats to make room for more patrons. Finally, never, ever drink the green beer.

51st State
This isn't an Irish pub in the strictest sense of the phrase, but given the collection of Guinness posters and Irish memorabilia on the walls, who cares? Between basketball on all the flat-screen televisions and a beer garden on the patio, 51st State has all the bases covered, and giveaways throughout the day include framed posters, gift certificates and round-trip plane tickets to Dublin. (You need not be present to win those, which will be drawn on March 25.) Do take the $5 imperial pints of Guinness. Pass on the green beer. The $1 "Shamrock Shooters" are a judgment call.

The Auld Shabeen
The two-level pub previously known as Ned Devine's marks its first St. Patrick's Day in Fairfax with a day of live music and dancing, which will be mostly, but not all, Irish. The acoustic tunes and folk music begin around 11:30, followed by Irish dancers, "contemporary Celtic" group Rhianon at 5, and then the rock cover band Warehouse at 9:30. A limited menu of Irish fare is served all day, and there's a $10 cover. (Yes, George Mason fans, you'll be able to catch the Patriots game on one of the flat-screen TVs.)

The Dubliner
One of the most popular stops in town, the Dubliner's pub and dining room aren't big enough to hold the overflow crowds, so the pub -- located in the Phoenix Park Hotel -- takes over the adjacent hotel ballroom and some meeting areas upstairs, which more than doubles the capacity. Doors open at 10 a.m. and there's live music all day, with three bands rotating between two stages. Five bars distribute drinks, and there's a tent outside with extra portable toilets. There's a $10 cover.

Fado Irish Pub
Doors open at 8 a.m., but everything really picks up around lunch. The full menu is offered until 2, when the music starts and the $10 cover begins. Washington's most popular Irish pub is going to be packed all day, thanks to live music by Val Little and Paul Gallagher, Irish dancers and keg after keg of Guinness. Lines will be long, and if you make it inside, there's a limited menu of Irish snacks and appetizers. Sound like too much hassle? Stop in on Thursday for the Bailey's Bash (guess who's sponsoring the specials) and you could win a "no line, no cover" pass.

Finn Mac Cool's
Kegs and eggs are so college. Finn Mac Cool's is starting the 17th in a more grown-up fashion, with a Beamish and bagels breakfast from 9 to 11. (Enjoy the Beamish while you can, because it's no longer being shipped to the U.S.) Once the plates have been cleared away, a full day of music begins, featuring the Flying Cows of Ventry and 40 Thieves. Additional bars will be set up on the pub's two floors to help keep lines to a minimum. You'll pay a $5 cover and get $5 drink specials all night: $5 car bombs, $5 Irish coffees and $5 Bailey's and coffee.

Four Green Fields
St. Patrick's Day at Four Green Fields -- formerly the Four Provinces in Cleveland Park -- reminds me of one of those David Spade credit card commercials: Tables and chairs? No. Can I start a tab? No. Can I pay with my Visa? No. Can I get some hot food? No. (Hope you like cold corned beef or turkey sandwiches.) The bar will still be packed to the gills with people who've paid $10 for the privilege. Celtic band Atlantic Bridge performs all day.

Ireland's Four Courts
The party at the Four Courts begins on Wednesday, when the pub celebrates its 10th anniversary by going back to 1996 prices after 5 p.m. (Ahh, remember the days when a Guinness was $3.75?) Friday will be the same as it's been the last couple of years: Live music all day with Sanford Markley, lunch until 3, a $10 cover and a tented patio in the rear parking lot to help ease crowds. It's worth noting that the pub has a large non-smoking dining room and bar. Enter to win a trip for two to Ireland.

Ireland's Four Provinces
Ireland's Four Provinces is more of a restaurant than a straight pub, and it's emphasizing the food on St. Patrick's Day. Open at 10 a.m., multiple lunch and dinner seatings are available, though I'm told reservations for the $34.95 price-fixe dinner are filling up. Limited seats will be available in the bar area, though, if you just want to drop in for a pint and listen to Brook Yoder and Justin Murphy, who are performing all day.

The Irish Channel
This won't be quite as busy as the nearby Fado, but that could be because the Irish Channel is tucked away on the other side of the Verizon Center. Open from 7 a.m. to 3 a.m., there's a cover charge this year ($5), a limited dinner menu, and live music by Sean Brennan. Commemorative T-shirts are $5, as are all domestic beers. A Guinness will set you back $6.

Kirkpatrick's Irish Pub
I like bar owners who are true to their word, and when Kirkpatrick's says "never a cover charge," they mean it -- even on St. Patrick's Day. Doors open at 8 for the "Big Irish Breakfast," and music starts at 11:30 with Rhianon, followed by Joe Daniels and the local rock-funk-reggae band Reverend Hookems from 9:30 to close. (If you want to get your Irish on, get there early.)