St Patrick’s Day 2017: what to do with your long weekend

Looking for something to do this St Patrick's weekend? Then look no further.

While a lot of people will stick with tradition and head to their nearby town or city for the parade, there are lots of other things happening over the course of the long weekend. We're spoilt this year because St Patrick's Day is falling on a Friday so it means we have three whole days to enjoy ourselves. So, apart from the parades and few drinks that are likely to be had, here are some other events that are taking place. This Ain’t No Disco At 6pm on St Patrick's Day The Sugar Club, on Leeson Street, Dublin 2 will host a special event, This Ain’t No Disco. It's a new Irish music programme which contains performance, collaboration and conversation hosted by Donal Dineen and directed by Myles O’Reilly. Expect plenty of new Irish music to pop up along the way as they track down and chat with musicians in Dublin and those now living in New York. The event is free but ticketed through, stpatricksfestival.ie. Dublin Bay Prawn Festival  The Dublin Bay Prawn Festival will take place from March 17th to 19th in Howth. A large number of local restaurants, bars and cafés will host a variety of amazing food experiences at the Harbour Festival Food Village serving the freshest, most delicious seafood, cooked every way imaginable, including a selection of special Dublin Bay Prawn dishes. St Patrick's Day at Dublin Zoo On St Patrick’s Day, Dublin Zoo will be hosting a family fun day from 12pm to 4pm. There will be live traditional music, snakes and ladders, face painting plus themed activities and keeper talks. Open Air Cinema There will be an open-air cinema showing Sing Street in Fingal County Council Civic Offices in Blanchardstown, Dublin 15 on Saturday, March 18th at 7:30pm. It's one of the best Irish movies from 2016 and what better way to see it then at an open-air screening. You're advised to bring warm, waterproof clothing. Elizabeth Fort Guided Tours  There are free guided tours on offer in Cork which will take people to the iconic five-pointed star fort. The fort has been opened to the public after closing as a Garda station in late 2013. See here for more information. Cork's Pop-Up Festival Market Cork City will host a pop-up market in Emmet Place on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 5pm. They will offer some of Cork's favourite food such as O’Flynn’s, The Crepe Man, Wokabout, Sultan, Barracuda Barbeque, Wok Roll and Knockout Pizza. Also in Cork is the St Patrick's Ball Run. Remember the video for Heartbeats by Jose Gonzalez, well Cork are recreating that and it's all for a great cause. See over 10,000 multi-coloured balls cascade down St Patricks Hill for a fundraiser in aid of for the Cork Lions City Centre Defibrillator Project. St Patrick's Day Boat Tour with Nevsail, in Limerick City Get half price boat tour when you dress in St. Patrick's costumes on Friday 17th, Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th from 10am with the St Patrick's Day boat tours in Limerick City. St Patrick's Festival Trad Trail Limerick City will host a special Trad Trail for the St Patrick's Festival from Thursday 16th until Sunday 19th March in various locations around Limerick City, including Dolans, The Locke Bar and The Old Quarter. Teeling Distillery Craft Fair There's a brilliant craft fair on in Teeling Distillery on Saturday, March 18th and it's completely free. It showcase a host of Ireland’s top businesses. Whiskey lovers will be delighted to hear that attendees will get to enjoy a delicious Irish whiskey with a sample selection of cocktails. The Teeling Whiskey Company range will be available to purchase at the fair, along with craft breweries Dot Brew, Hope Brewery and Wood Key Brewing. It's not limited to whiskey drinkers with companies such as RTE Taste of Success runners up Currabinny serving delicious treats and hotpots, and local marshmallow company Delish Melish and the Cupcake Bloke coming back at the fair. Beauty and the Beast If you're looking for something very different to do this St Patrick's Day then why not head along to the cinema to see Beauty and the Beast. It's been one of the most talked about movies in recent months and it's making its debut on March 17th. I've seen it and highly recommend the remake starring Emma Watson, Luke Evans, Josh Gad and Ewan McGregor. I got to sit down and interview Luke and Josh who were hilarious.