• Did you know the very first St. Patrick’s Day parade wasn’t in Ireland, but rather in Boston?
  • St. Patrick’s Day may be the most popular beer-drinking holiday in America, but many people may not know these interesting facts about the Irish holiday.
  • Financial website WalletHub pulled together a list of facts about St. Patrick’s Day, from how many pints of Guinness are consumed worldwide to how much the average American spends on the day.
  • Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated by a majority of Americans, regardless of their own Irish heritage.

Celebrations have been going on for more than 1,000 years, and each year more than 100 parades happen across the country.

Whether you’re planning to attend one of the country’s many parades, grab a pint at a local Irish pub, or stay home and cook up some cabbage and corned beef, you may find yourself wondering about the facts and traditions behind St. Patrick’s Day.

Financial website WalletHub pulled together a list of facts about St. Patrick’s Day and they just might surprise you.

Here are 15 facts you probably didn't know about St. Patrick's Day.


More than half of Americans will celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

Foto: People participate on the sidelines of the annual St. Patrick's Day parade in New York City in 2018. Source: Stephanie Keith/Getty Images

According to WalletHub, 57% of respondents said they planned to celebrate the Irish holiday.


More than $6 billion will be spent on St. Patrick's Day this year.

Foto: A participant is seen holding a Pot of gold coins during a St. Patrick's Day celebration. Source: Alexey Ivanov/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

On average, Americans celebrating the Irish holiday will spend $43.


A majority of St. Patrick's Day partiers plan to wear green.

Foto: St. Patrick's Day celebrators in New York City. Source: Daniel Goodman / Business Insider

79% of celebrators said they planned to wear the festive color.


However, the color blue was originally associated with Saint Patrick.

Foto: Festival participants take part in the annual Saint Patrick's Day parade on March 17, 2019 in Dublin, Ireland. Source: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images

Early depictions of the Irish saint showed him wearing blue garments and the Order of St. Patrick, created by King George III, had sky blue as its official color.


It takes 50 pounds of dye to turn the Chicago River green.

Foto: Workers dye the Chicago River green as part of the city's annual St. Patrick's Day celebrations in Chicago. Source: REUTERS/John Gress

The dye lasts five hours and is one of the most recognizable ways Americans celebrate St. Patrick's Day. The river was first dyed green in 1962.


Every year, the US president is given a crystal ball filled with shamrocks.

Foto: Irish leader Leo Varadkar presents a bowl of shamrocks to President Trump. Source: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

The tradition began in 1952 when the Irish ambassador to the US, John Hearne, sent a box of shamrocks to President Harry S. Truman.


St Patrick's Day is the most popular holiday for beer drinking in the US.

Foto: Revelers drinking beer at the Temple Bar in Dublin, Ireland. Source: NurPhoto / Contributor / Getty Images

It's the third most popular drinking holiday overall, and the average person consumes around four drinks on St. Patrick's Day.


A whopping 13 million pints of Guinness will be consumed worldwide this St. Patrick's Day.

Foto: A pint of Guinness is poured to celebrate the countdown to St. Patrick's Day. Source: Noam Galai/Getty Images

WalletHub reports that 174% more beer is sold on St. Patrick's Day than on an average day.


Hard alcohol is also extremely popular on St. Patrick's Day.

Foto: Alcohol for sale. Source: JANEK SKARZYNSKI/AFP/Getty

There are 153% more spirits sold on St. Patrick's Day than normally.


St. Patrick's Day is also one of the most common holidays for drunk driving-related accidents.

Foto: Driving at night. Source: Pawel Radomski/Shutterstock

In 2018, 73 people were killed in drunk driving crashes over St. Patrick's Day weekend.


While Americans love to partake in drinking on St. Patrick's Day, fewer people plan to cook a special dinner.

Foto: Eating corned beef is an Irish-American tradition. Source: Shutterstock

Only 28% of Americans plan to cook a St. Patrick's Day meal.


Corned beef and cabbage are traditionally eaten in the US on St. Patrick's Day.

Foto: Competitive eaters face off in the first-ever Stroehmann Sandwich Slamm, an eating contest featuring corned beef and rye sandwiches ahead of St. Patrick's Day. Source: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Beer is also sometimes dyed green.


Cabbage is more popular around St. Patrick's Day than any other time in the states.

Foto: A person celebrating St. Patrick's Day and carrying a cabbage. Source: Kacper Pempel/Reuters

There's a 70% increase in cabbage shipments during St. Patrick's Day week.


The first St. Patrick's Day parade was held in Boston, not Ireland, in 1737.

Foto: Costumed spectators watch the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Boston. Source: Keith Bedford/The Boston Globe/Getty Images

The tradition began as a result of large concentrations of Irish immigrants moving to Boston and New York City. The first St. Patrick's Day parade would come to New York City in 1762.


Most Americans would be interested in celebrating St. Patrick's Day in Ireland.

Foto: Happy hour at a pub in the Temple Bar neighborhood of Dublin, Ireland. Source: Filckr / Leandro Neumann Ciuffo

Of those surveyed, 88% of Americans said they'd be interested in traveling across the pond to celebrate the Irish holiday.