St. Patrick's Day 2021: 5 ways to celebrate at home, from concert streams to beer

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has called off the parades, concerts and in-person revelry that typically arrive around St. Patrick's Day.

But staying safe at home is no reason to feel blue on the greenest day of the year. 

Thanks to craft beer, live-streamed concerts and seasonal delights, plenty of the excitement of St. Patrick's Day can be enjoyed at home. Here are a few of the things keeping us smiling on March 17.

Cheers to beers

Beers are perfect for COVID-friendly home celebrations.

No matter where you are in the U.S., you can't go wrong with a good old pint of Guinness, which is available at most grocery stores.

It is literally the beer of Ireland. The creamy foam at the top of the glass is intentional and, before you get your green knickers in a bundle, the pour is supposed to go slowly. That creamy head adjusts your taste buds for the bitter coffee notes of the stout underneath. Guinness has a 4.2% ABV and has only 125 calories. 

St. Patrick's isn't quite the same without a red ale, either. Smithwick's is a popular red ale-style beer, which has been brewed in Ireland since 1710. Now, you can find the red-style beauty in stores across the U.S. too. 

Want to make things extra festive? Try mixing Guinness with Smithwick's Ale for a half-and-half style drink. 

Watch the video below for a tutorial on how to make this layered drink:

Live-streamed concerts

Irish/American rockers and road warriors Flogging Molly have partnered with Bushmills Irish Whiskey to present a live-streamed concert direct from Dublin airing at 3 p.m. East Coast time on Wednesday, March 17.

Tickets start at $20 with merchandise, VIP tickets and other options all available at floggingmollylive.com. A portion of the proceeds benefit the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund supporting musicians and music industry workers in need.

The music continues with "Still Locked Down," a livestream from stalwart Boston punks Dropkick Murphys at 7 p.m. It's free to watch the stream, but fans can make donations to the band at DKMSTREAM.com.

Grateful Dead singer and guitarist Bob Weir and Wolf Bros. will close out the night with a performance livestreamed via Fans from Weir's TRI Studios in California.

Kicking off at 9 p.m., the show will find Weir and his Wolf Bros., Don Was on bass and Jay Lane on drums, joined by Jeff Chimenti on keys, Greg Leisz on lap pedal steel guitar and the Wolf Pack ensemble.

Tickets to view the show are $19.99, with special merchandise for the night available. For more information, visit bobweir.net.

Irish potatoes for a sweet treat

For a sweet ending, don’t forget a box of Irish potatoes, which actually aren’t potatoes at all.

The tuber-shaped treat, which has coconut inside and cinnamon outside and is shaped like a mini potato, is a seasonal Philly-born confection, and you can find them throughout the city in bakeries, coffee and candy shops. On the Jersey side, they can be found at Van Holten’s Sweet Shop in Seaside Heights, Sweetsboro Pastry Shoppe in Swedesboro and Reily’s Candy in Medford, which all make them for St. Patrick’s Day.

Check grocery store shelves, too, or place an online order with OhRyan’s Original Irish Potatoes, a Pennsylvania-based company that’s been making the candies for decades, at ohryans.net.

Have yourself a wee laugh

If you've resorted to watching "Schitt's Creek'' or "The Good Place'' for the fourth time because the pandemic has cleared out your to-binge list, use the holiday at home as an excuse to visit a County or two.

"Moone Boy,'' which streams on Prime Video, is a tween-friendly, heart-on-its-sleeve Irish sitcom created by Chris O'Dowd ("Bridesmaids,'' "The IT Crown''), who also co-stars in the role of Sean Murphy, imaginary friend to a rather feckless young boy. 

Martin Moone survives in a world full of strong-willed teen sisters, altar boy bullies, bands of squatting travelers and wayward donkeys, with Murphy offering well-intentioned if slightly misguided advice along the way in Boyle, in the west of Ireland in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The show is made even better by the Sultans of Ping title track and the periodic cartoon interludes.

"Derry Girls,'' meanwhile, shares "Moone Boy's'' family- and friend-centered scenes, but instead of imaginary friends, you get a sarcastic nun/principal (Sioban McSweeney) and a host other adults offering a running commentary on the antics of a group of hormone-fueled teenagers making the most of their high school years amid the end of The Troubles in Derry, Northern Ireland. The comedy shares "Moone Boy's'' sharp writing (this time by Lisa McGee) and Catholic humor, but it's best to be shared only with older children as the language is salty and the bloodshed is never out of mind. Now streaming on Netflix.

St. Patrick's Day freebies

Wearing green Wednesday may prevent you from getting pinched and can help you score some freebies. 

Krispy Kreme is giving away free green glazed doughnuts for those who visit shops wearing green Tuesday and Wednesday. No purchase is necessary, and the treats are available in-store, for pick-up and the drive-thru while supplies last.

For more special items and deals available at stores and restaurants for the holiday, click here.

Contributing: Sara Moniuszko and Kelly Tyko, USA Today; Kathy Flanigan, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel