On St. Patrick's Day, everybody wants to be Irish. That means the streets of Manhattan will be crowded with rowdy revelers in green from near and far.

If you're a traditionalist, St. Patrick's Day in New York probably means attending the parade and heading straight for the nearest Irish pub (or the nearest St. Patrick's Day Pub Crawl if you're really serious about the holiday). However, you can also spend the day checking out great Irish bands, learning more about the history of the Irish people in New York, or attending a lesson in Irish storytelling.

• Craic Festival-- Start celebrating St. Patrick's Day a few days early. The Craic Festival runs March 6-9, 2013 and features great Irish performers onstage at venues including Mercury Lounge and screenings of Irish films at Tribeca Cinemas.
• New York St. Patrick's Day Parade
  Join the crowd for the famous New York St. Patrick's Day Parade.
• Best Irish Pubs in New York City
  Enjoy a pint (or two...or three) at one of New York's best Irish pubs.
• See Black 47 Live
  Black 47, the legendary NYC-based Celtic rock band, is playing a live St. Patrick's Day show on Saturday evening at B.B. King's. On Saturday afternoon, Pogues tribute band Streams of Whiskey will take the stage to perform the music of The Pogues.
• World's Largest St. Patty's Day Pub Crawl
  Thousands of drunks roam the city every year during the world's largest St. Patrick's Day pub crawl. It's 3 days, 5 miles, and more than 100 pubs. You'll get $1 domestic drafts, $3 well drinks, and $4 Jameson shots wherever you roam. Each pub will also offer their own drink specials, theme parties, and other shenanigans. Tickets are $10 for one day of crawling, $40 for an all-access, three-day pass (March 16-18). Are you up for the challenge?

• St. Patrick's Open Day at the Irish Arts Center
  Visit the Irish Arts Center on Sunday, March 17th for a free afternoon of authentic Irish music, dance, song and storytelling for the whole family.
• Big Onion's Irish New York Walking Tour
  Join the experts at Big Onion Walking Tours to explore the former "Little Ireland" district of the Lower East Side, which boasted more Irish residents than Dublin in the nineteenth century. The walking tour will take place at 11 am on Saturday, March 16.