Where to celebrate St Patrick's Day in London

Celebrating the bonds between the British and Irish, the 21st annual St Patrick's Day Festival will take place on Sunday, 17 March, and include a procession of Irish marching bands, dance troupes and pageantry. The parade will start at midday at Hyde Park Corner and travel through Piccadilly, St James's Street, Pall Mall, Cockspur Street and Whitehall, before ending up at Trafalgar Square. Various family concerts, children's films, youth performances, community choirs, workshops and other events will take place there throughout the day. Things will wrap up around 6pm.

As you can imagine, March is the busiest month for the London Irish Centre, the city's epicentre for Irish arts and culture. More or less all of their events will let you tick “do something for St Paddy's” off your bucket list, with options including Irish language courses, Irish book club, and live music. Some specific St Patrick's Day highlights include a big party on 16 March and a cocert by Declan Nerney on 22 March. Check their website for the full programme.

Two of the Little Door flat-share bars will be shamrocking the house in the lead-up to St Paddy's Day, with the homely spaces hosting an Irish-themed house party featuring a live Irish band and a DJ for afters. The events are fuelled by Tullamore Dew, so expect plenty of cocktails and great craic as you dance your way into St Patrick's Day.

Walthamstow's social club and beer hall will start off its St Patrick's Day festivities early with a themed party on Saturday, complete with traditional live music, Maggie O'Shea Dance Academy dancers, coddle on the menu, and more. The next day, it's the families' turn, with an all-ages family-friendly party with live music and ceilidh dancing.

The laidback Rotunda Bar and Restaurant by the canal in King's Cross will be hosting celebrating throughout the weekend, including a Friday dinner complete with live music by The Craicheads and watching the Six Nations games on Saturday. Dishes on the three-curse menu include gin-cured salmon, braised Corneyside Farm beef with spring carrot, nettle, and spring onion colcannon, and a dark chocolate and Guinness cake for dessert.

Camden's first pub, restaurant and wine shop, The Farrier, will be hosting a weekend-long St Patrick's celebration, starting with an Irish-inspired six-course dinner by chef Jake Perry on Friday. On Saturday, the bar will be pouring Irish-inspired cocktails and Guinness all day long, and on Sunday, you can stop by for their award-winning roast, followed by a St Patrick's Day party.

The iconic Windmill Brixton live music venue will again turn into Paddy's Pub from the hit TV show “It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia” for one night. The annual “It's Always Sunny On St Paddy's Day” party promises a bunch of live acts, continuing the venues tradition of championing new and rising talent, and plenty of shenanigans. The dress code is Danny DeVito masks.

It might not be everyone's cup of Guinness, but if you're feeling fit on Saturday afternoon, get yourself down to Hyde Park for the fourth annual London St Patrick's Day Run. Participants will complete a 5k lap of the perimeter of the park, starting and finishing at the Lodge Café by Hyde Park Corner. Afterwards, head to the nearby Hose and Groom pub for Six Nations rugby and socialising.

The wildly popular weekly club night Club de Fromage will dress up in green for its St Patrick's weekend edition, adding bangers by beloved Irish acts such as Westlife, Boyzone, U2, The Corrs and The Pogues to its regular line-up of nonstop hits and party smashes. Expect massive singalongs, confetti, balloons and all the rest that have made Club de Fromage such a staple of partying in the capital. Fancy dress is welcomed and encouraged.

The iconic Crosstown doughnut chain is bringing back its beloved St Patrick's Day special – fluffy chocolate Guinness cake dough, piped with Baileys Irish cream and chocolate ganache, dipped in Baileys chocolate glaze, and hand-finished with chocolate curls. You can get the delightful Guinness & Baileys treat at one of the chain's branches around the city, or order your own batch online.

Darby's will commence St Patrick's Day festivities on 14 March already, offering an Irish set menu through the rest of the week, highlighting their favourite products from Ireland. And for St Patrick's Day proper, they'll serve up a double dose of live music, first courtesy of the Paul Kerr duo to accompany Darby's Sunday roast, then the Terence O'Flaherty duo in the evening.

The Camden branch of the award-winning kebab group I Am Döner has put together a St Patrick's Day special to mark the occasion, available from 1 March. The limited-edition Guinness Kebab is made with Guinness mayonnaise andprepared according to the group's own recipe. The I Am Döner better kebab concept was launched by a Michelin-trained chef and aims to position kebabs as more than just a late-night snack.

Secreted away atop the Brunel Museum in Rotherhithe, The Midnight Apothecary is a lush outdoor cocktail bar with firepits, candlelight, and a changing menu of botanical cocktails. In honour of St Patrick's Day and the Emerald Isle, the menu will be getting an Irish-themed makeover, including the likes of Irish whiskey hot toddies, all made with locally-sourced ingredients. The ticket to the event also includes a guided tour of the Brunel Museum's underground Grand Entrance Hall.

Soho's legendary Phoenix Arts Club entertainment venue is hosting a St Patrick's Day-themed cabaret show and dinner on the big day. Featuring the best in Irish talent, the show will include comedians, burlesque bombshells, West End stars, Irish dancers, drag king, and more. The ticket to the show also includes a three-course Irish dinner. After the show wraps up, you can keep on partying til late.

Located within the Westfield London shopping centre, the Westwood Sports Pub & Kitchen is a welcoming venue with giant HD screens for all sorts of sports events. On St Patrick's Day, they're offering two-for-one deals on Slane Irish whiskey and shots like the Baby Guinness, accompanied by a playlist stacked with Irish classics.

The biggest weekend for Ireland is also the biggest weekend for Nancy Spains – opening weekend, in fact. The contemporary Irish pub in Shoreditch is opening just in time for St Paddy's and will be celebrating by offering 2,500 pits of Murphy's Irish Stout – the pub's stout of choice over Guinness – for just £2.50 each on Saturday, accompanied by live music, Dominican food by Nancy Spains' first kitchen residents Boca Chica, and more.

Clays brings country fun right to the heart of The City with its interactive clay target shooting on huge 4K screens. ON St Paddy's Day, Camden Town Brewery is throwing in a half pint of stout with every peg booking. Plus, if you book between 1pm and 3pm, a live illustrator will draw your portrait with any purchase of a Camden stout.

The famed Camden Market is holding a St. Patrick's Day festival throughout the weekend, starting with live folk storytelling for adults on Friday and culminating in an Irish music parade with drummers, fiddlers, and dancers on Sunday. Other events during the weekend include learning to play the bodhran, Celtic cabaret, arts and crafts workshops, and more.

Shoreditch venue Ballie Ballerson is best-known for its adult ball pit, and they sure know how to throw a party. St Patrick's Day is no exception. Celebrations kick off at this cool and modern venue with a live music bottomless brunch. Alternatively, visit in the evening for a party with pizza, loads of Guinness, cocktails, and that all-important ball pit.

Celebrate the occasion with an elegant set lunch at Anglo-French brasserie Langan's. In sophisticated surroundings with art on the walls, diners can sample dishes that celebrate Irish culinary traditions. You'll get three courses plus canapés and a complimentary glass of whiskey on arrival. Added to that, there's Irish entertainment to keep the party going.

Head to Greenwich Market for a St Patrick's Day celebration in South London. Stallholders throughout this busy market will be turning their stalls green to mark the occasion, plus you can listen to traditional Irish tunes whilst you browse the stalls. At the market you'll find a diverse range of vendors and boutiques covering fashion, jewellery, arts and crafts, and street food.

On St Patrick's Day, Jameson Irish Whiskey will be parking a big green double-decker in front of King's Cross station, handing out free James, ginger & lime cocktails in collaboration with Irish comedienne Aisling Bea. There'll also be a contest, with ten lucky winners getting to take the bus on a tour of East London's best Irish haunts.

Dram Bar, a three-storey whisky palace in Soho, is starting the St Patrick's Day celebrations on Monday already. They're hosting a takeover by Dublin's famed Bar 1661, one of the best bars in all of Ireland. The 1661ers will be pouring banging cocktails and Guinness all evening long. You can also pick up all the necessities for the weekend festivities in Dram's whisky shop while you're there.

On-trend Islington bar The 411 is celebrating St Patrick's Day too. Visit this spacious and fun venue for DJ sets on until late, lots of Guinness, and fantastic deals on drinks so your glass will never be empty. There's pizza if you need to line your stomach, fun activities like pool and beer pong, and a warm and welcoming vibe.