My Irish Eyes Are Smiling — St. Patrick's Day in Virginia City 2022
You can never have a bad time in Virginia City. Never. But St. Patrick's Day in Virginia City? That's a category of its own entirely.
March 12th, 2022 was a tremendous party from start to finish — and I mean that in the most complete sense of the word. We got our green on, we hit the parade, we ate things we probably shouldn't have, and we survived the Ball Breaker pub crawl. Mostly.
Virginia City's St. Patrick's Day Parade
Virginia City does St. Patrick's Day the way Virginia City does everything — with full commitment and zero apology. The annual St. Patrick's Day Parade rolls down C Street through the heart of the historic district, past the saloons and the Victorian storefronts and the wooden sidewalks, and the whole town turns out for it. Green everywhere. Costumes, beads, flags, and the kind of crowd energy that only happens when a small mountain town decides to throw a party.
We were in it. Fully in it. Green on, spirits high, ready for whatever the day had in store. Virginia City never disappoints on days like this — the setting alone makes everything feel more festive. There's something about celebrating in a town that's been throwing parties since the 1860s that just hits differently.
Rocky Mountain Oysters — A Rite of Passage
No Virginia City St. Patrick's Day is complete without confronting the Rocky Mountain oysters. For the uninitiated: they are exactly what you think they are, and they are a staple of the Virginia City experience. I tried them. I will say that I was very happy to see some not-so-stomach-turning food options available as well. Let's leave it at that and move on.
The Ball Breaker Pub Crawl
Then there was the Ball Breaker pub crawl. Virginia City has no shortage of saloons — the Bucket of Blood, the Delta, the Mark Twain, and more — and a pub crawl through them on St. Patrick's Day is exactly as eventful as it sounds. I think I'd rather forget most of it. Actually, I did forget most of it. That's probably the correct outcome for a Ball Breaker pub crawl in Virginia City on St. Patrick's Day. No regrets.
Meeting Our People
One of the best parts of any Virginia City event is running into VCMCo. fans in the wild. We always love seeing familiar faces in town, and St. Patrick's Day 2022 was no exception. We gave away our new 2022 wristbands and met some genuinely fun and fantastic people throughout the day. That's what these events are really about for us — not just being present, but connecting with the community that supports the brand and shares the same love of Virginia City, of riding, and of a good time on C Street.
Every wristband that went out that day was a little piece of VCMCo. heading home with someone who gets it. That never gets old.
Virginia City Never Disappoints
If you've never done St. Patrick's Day in Virginia City, put it on your list. The parade, the saloons, the food, the people, the setting — it all comes together in a way that only this town can pull off. It's rowdy and historic and completely unique, and it happens every year on the slopes of the Comstock whether you're there or not.
You might as well be there.
Oh! The festivities. Can't wait till next time. ☘️