March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day, and Sydney feels a little more energized than usual. That said, it’s not like the entire city gets wrapped up in a huge celebration, but you can definitely feel pockets of excitement. When you get around the pubs though, you can feel the festivity in the air.
I decided to go to a pub with friends this year. I almost always order the same type of beer, but on St. Patrick’s Day, I go with a Guinness. The sight of the rich black liquid topped with creamy foam feels like a celebration in itself. Looking around, I saw that lots of people had ordered the same thing, and it tickled me to think that the unspoken rule of ordering a Guinness on St. Patrick’s Day was taking hold.
At first, I wondered whether it was just a relic of the fact that Australia had once been under British rule, but then I realized that there were probably very few people actually thinking about the history of it. If anything, it was just another fun thing to celebrate. They were doing a promotion where you got a free Guinness hat if you ordered two pints, which made me think that the whole scene was mostly driven by advertising—which is typical of my practical side.
For food, I went with the classic fish and chips. Crispy on the outside with soft, flaky white fish on the inside and a generous pile of fried potatoes. Simple, satisfying, and the perfect match for beer. I also saw a lot of people enjoying lamb at nearby tables, which added a distinctly Australian twist to the holiday.
A live band started playing in the pub, and before long, people were clapping and easily striking up conversations with strangers. It wasn’t anything over-the-top, but there was definitely a feeling of camaraderie amidst those of us sharing that moment in time.
One of my favorite things about Sydney is getting to enjoy live music for free, or sitting outside on a patio drinking a beer and watching the city go by. Of course, the beer here costs three times what it does in Japan, so I guess the scenery and the music are included in the price. It’s not like the whole town turns into one big festival—it’s just people who choose to celebrate enjoying themselves. Which itself feels like a very Sydney thing as well.
St. Patrick’s Day is nothing crazy, but it did feel a bit special. Getting to hang out with friends, Guinness in hand, was a chance to enjoy the multicultural side of the city and its distinctly laid-back approach to celebrations.