Events

Shamrock Crawl Returns to Clarendon Next Month

Shamrock Crawl logoThe Shamrock Crawl, dubbed Arlington’s biggest bar crawl, will return to Clarendon next month.

The bar crawl is scheduled to take place from 1-9 p.m. on Saturday, March 19. Tickets are $15 through the end of the month, $20 starting March 1 and $30 at the door.

“The Shamrock Crawl is a time of festive jubilation, so let your Irish cheer run free!” says the event’s website. “Join thousands of fellow beer lovers in celebrating a day full of green revelry at some of Arlington’s most popular bars.”

Attendees will get a refillable Shamrock mug, party favors, green beads, drink specials at each stop and free photos of the event. Participating bars include Clarendon Ballroom, Clarendon Grill, Mad Rose, Hunan One, Whitlow’s, Spider Kelly’s, Hard Times Cafe, IOTA Club, Mister Days and American Tap Room.

Last year, some 3,700 people participated in the Shamrock Crawl. That’s down from 5,000 revelers in 2014, but crime was also down — two arrests compared to more than two dozen arrests in 2014 — as a new bar crawl policy provided funds from organizers for a stepped-up police presence.

Arlington bar crawls may not be as wild and crazy as they once were, but they still rankle some business owners, as well as residents of surrounding neighborhoods, who sometimes complain of parking issues and the occasional drunk who shows up on their lawn.

We asked new County Board members Katie Cristol and Christian Dorsey about that our ARLnow Presents event Wednesday night. (Video below.)