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Australians’ love of Guinness and the craic helped them get into the Irish spirit a day earlier as they enjoyed St Patrick’s Day parades before a night at the pub.
Hundreds filled the streets of St Kilda in Melbourne to catch a glimpse of the festivities as the St Patrick Day Festival held their family fun day on Saturday.
Dressed in their best green hats and top hats, Melburnians were treated to traditional dancing, music as the parade wound its way to O’Donnell Gardens.
The festival, in its fifth year, also held a family day in the parks, which included a dog show with prizes up for grabs for the best dressed dog, top tail and coolest dog.
Those who stuck to a pint of Guinness were treated to the musical stylings of Pat McKernan, Eddie Simmons, Mac Crimimin and the Ceili Band.
Emma Olrik a bartender at the Australian Hotel in the Rocks serves a Guinness on the Saturday ahead of the official St Patricks Day on Sunday 17th March
Revelers in St. Kilda got into the festivities by donning their best green costumes
Celebrations in Melbourne continue until Sunday with an adults-only event headlined by County Fermanagh folk band Tumbling Paddies.
It’s just one of the many events taking place across the country this weekend to celebrate Irish culture.
St Patrick’s Day celebrations began as a day of religious observance for Ireland’s patron saint.
And although it is not considered an official holiday in Australia, Irish and non-Irish alike consider it a day to celebrate the nation’s culture and heritage.
Around the country, around 2.4m pints of Guinness will be downed, but Lion Australia has assured there will be no shortage of the black liquid.
“I can assure Australians they will have no problem finding a pint this weekend,” Lion Brands director of premium beer Albertus Lombard told The Daily Telegraph.
“We’re bringing in millions of the stuff and it’s safe to say the majority of it will be in NSW.”
Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney all had parades on Saturday with further celebrations set for Sunday
Brisbane hosted an Irish parade on Saturday, with a sea of marchers holding banners moving through the CBD.
Cindy and Monique Bowdler displayed some extravagant Irish spirit, with the elegant ladies walking on stilts and sporting Irish top hats.
Meanwhile, Cathy and Al Nicholson were green and Mr. Nicholson displayed a fierce and large orange beard.
Revelers in Sydney have also imbibed pints of Guinness at the Australian Hotel and Glenmore Hotel in the historic Rocks district ahead of Sunday’s Green fiesta.
Australian hotel bartenders Conor Mansfield and Emma Olrik showed Guinness on tap and pints of the legendary dark drink on Saturday afternoon.