Monday, March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day! Once a year, it’s your chance to be Irish — so, adorn yourself with green from head to toe (and avoid getting pinched…unless you like that sort of thing - yow!)

St. Patty’s Day is all about shamrocks, green beer, leprechauns, and corn beef! There are festivals, like the Guiness St. Patrick’s Day Festival at Riverfront Park, NC where you can experience Irish music, dance, food, artisans, and booth displays.

For additional local festivities and parades, try the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Concert at Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles, CA, featuring Irish bagpipers, Irish bands, street performers, and floats. There’s also the Harrisburg St. Patrick’s Day Parade in downtown Harrisburg, PA or the Saint Patrick’s Day Celebration in Grand Ledge, MI…just to name a few!

For those wild, late night party-goers, check out the Miller Lite ShamRock St. Patrick’s Day Block Party in downtown San Diego’s Gaslamp District where thousands flock to the area to experience live music, hot DJs, great food and green beer with 40,000 sq ft of Astroturf (cool!) in the streets!

If you’re looking for a more sophisticated outing, enjoy the Thistle and Shamrock: California Philharmonic Pays Tribute to Celtic Culture performance on Saturday night to see the Cabar Feidh pipe band and Celtic dancers.

But, if you’re interested in something more low-key, you might want to head over to your nearby local pub for a tall glass of Guinness!

• Gene McCarthy’s Irish Pub in Buffalo, NY
• Kell’s Irish Pub and Restaurant in San Francisco, CA
• O’Shea’s Irish Pub in Charlotte, NC
• O’Donoghue’s Irish Pub in Scottsdale, AZ

And to depart with an Irish blessing:

“May flowers always line your path and sunshine light your day. May songbirds serenade you ever step along the way. May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that’s always blue. And may happiness fill your heart each day your whole life through.”

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!!

Flickr Photo Credits: Shamrock by jciv and Leprechaun by OZinOH’s

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Super Bowl XLII is just around the corner in Glendale, Arizona, just west of Phoenix in the new home of the Phoenix Cardinals, University of Phoenix Stadium. The new digs are a replacement to the Cardinal’s long time home at ASU Stadium in Tempe and the 88 luxury suites and 25 acres of surrounding retail and entertainment make for the ideal destination for this year’s big game.

We all, perhaps, think of the Super Bowl not for the game itself but the commercials, half time show, and guacamole (it has been said that American’s eat more guac on Super Bowl Sunday than the rest of the year combined) but we at Zvents noticed that it isn’t about Sunday as much as as the amazing list of things to do in Phoenix leading up to February 3rd.

Catch Chris Rock, February 2nd, at The Best Damn Super Bowl Party Period as he performs at their after party live at Ultra Lounge at Prive Super House. If you are lucky enough to score tickets, go for the entire event which starts Thursday with Jenny McCarthy, Ludacris and Holly Robinson Peete of the Hollyrod Foundation who is in town for fashion show fund raiser, “Gridiron Glamour.”

If fashion is your thing (wait… this is a football game isn’t it?), players wives come together to host the Off the Field Fashion Show, a benefit for the Phoenix Children’s Hospital on February 1 from 10am - 2pm. The event gives attendees an opportunity to visit the new SouthBridge real estate and retail development in Scottsdale, said to rival Beverly Hills’ Rodeo Drive.

Rather party with the celebs? Just opened Taste Ultra Lounge is hosting Friday Night Lights on February 1st with Hugh Hefner, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, and Jamie Foxx making an appearance. The “Tao inspired nightclub” has been one of the hottest places to be in Arizona since its opening in October, 2007.

On January 31st, P. Diddy (or is it just Diddy now?) is hosting a block party outside mega club Axis/Radius in Scottsdale. This two-story dance club has been a Scottsdale epicenter for over a decade and continues to throw the best party in town. You might as well bring a sleeping bag (or Red Bull) to stay first in line for Snoop Dogg on Friday night, Kid Rock and Bud Bowl on Saturday, and (ahem) Girls Gone Wild after the Super Bowl.

If you get past the crowd and inside Axis/Radius on Thursday, you’ll find Nick Lachey hosting the Super Skins Kick Off Party while P. Diddy performs under the stars. We encourage you to find a moment of peace from all this hype and sign up with Nick for the Superskins Celebrity Golf Classic. Multi-platinum recording artist Nick Lachey and two-time reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, Jimmie Johnson have partnered with Prime Cuts Productions to form the Super Skins Celebrity Golf Classic prior to Super Bowl XLII. Proceeds from the event, a special Super Skins Online Auction and Super Skins Party, will benefit multiple charities including “The Nick Lachey Foundation” and ” The Jimmie Johnson Foundation.”

Believe it or not, we’ve just scratched the surface and we’re out of breath. Take advantage of Navteq’s Map Network Super Bowl XLII Event Guide which covers just about everything going on in Phoenix related to the game; otherwise, search Zvents for much more in town or stay tuned and we’ll share other opportunities to party in desert.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

You may not see too many people typically sporting cowboy boots around Austin like you might think. However, you can certainly see women wandering around in strappy heels and pointy stilettos on the crowded streets of downtown at night. Granted, they’re not the ideal footwear for scurrying from bar to club to bar all night long. But, getting from place to place is simple and definitely within walking distance (rickshaw bicycles are even available for those who suffer from sore feet by the end of night). Unlike most downtown areas, there’s no need to deal with the hassle of driving from place to place or endure the frustration of finding that elusive parking space.

The nightlife in Austin is conveniently centralized around several colorful streets filled with live music, loud bands, salsa dancing, shots bars, billiard halls, beer gardens, dance clubs, and swanky lounges, which easily caters to the wide variety of interests for crowds which range from students to tourists to local yuppies.

My first glimpse of Austin’s nightlife came from watching MTV’s Real World Austin, which fairly accurately captures the vibrant social scene. The bar-lined 6th Street is even blocked off at night so that traffic can’t interfere with the zealous crowds that flock the street! 6th Street typically attracts more of the student youngsters, while the more sophisticated types with money to burn tend to venture around 2nd and 4th Street.

The bar scene is always intriguing to explore in Austin – even for the sheer sake of people watching!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

U.S. News and World Report just came out with their latest issue of “America’s Best Colleges.” Of course, they list the top schools based on academics, which is pretty important when considering educational aspirations or career interests. But aside from academics, one of the key considerations should be student lifestyle. After all, most of the best college experiences happen outside of the classroom, right?

Realistically, there is no reason why student life shouldn’t be fun with so many interesting things to do in all the great college towns across the country.

In Los Angeles, experience the historic rivalry between USC and UCLA and tout the school colors around town. If you’re not a sports fan, check out the all-star comedians on College Night at the Laugh Factory.

Otherwise, get wild on the dance floor with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s salsa lessons and impress the ladies with your smooth moves!

In Austin, witness the overwhelming Texas Longhorn team spirit at UT’s stadium. After the game, hit the bars on 6th Street for a chance to mingle with fellow students in the heart of downtown.

If you’re in Detroit and interested in showing Barack your love, join the Diversity Walk – Obama for President at the Wayne State University campus. Those who are looking to just meet up friends, head over to the Facebook College Night party at the Esko Lounge on Thursday nights.

As a student, there are tons of things to do to stay entertained. But, if you haven’t found what you are looking for, go ahead and promote your own event so that others can find out about it!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!