St. Patrick's Festival 2027 runs in Dublin from Saturday 13 March to Wednesday 17 March 2027, and its centrepiece, the National St. Patrick's Day Parade, begins at 12 noon on Wednesday 17 March. The organiser describes the festival as the largest celebration of Irish culture and heritage in the world, and estimates that around 500,000 people come out to see the parade. The full 2027 events schedule will be published in January 2027; grandstand seats for the parade went on sale on 28 September 2026.
For visitors from the United States and Canada, it is one of the best-known weeks of the year to be in Dublin, and one of the hardest for getting around the centre by road. Elly8.net books the festival as fixed-price chauffeured cars: Dublin Airport transfers, hourly cars that work around the parade closures, and evening cars for dinners and celebrations. Rides in Dublin are operated by licensed, commercially insured local chauffeur partners vetted through the Limousine Worldwide network; Elly8.net takes the booking, fixes the price and runs the 24/7 desk.
How do you get around Dublin on St Patrick's Day?
Arrive a day or two before 17 March with a fixed Dublin Airport transfer to your hotel, then walk to the parade: the city centre closes to traffic for it. For dinners, day trips and the airport, book a chauffeur by the hour, with drop-offs and pickups set outside the closures. Dublin Airport to St Stephen's Green is US$120 to US$315.
On parade day, no car crosses the route. The festival says the parade requires road closures in the city centre from early morning until late afternoon, and it advises everyone to plan their journeys in advance. A chauffeur does not change that. What it does is put a car at a known point outside the closures when you need it: before the parade for a hotel move, after the parade for a late lunch outside the centre, and in the evening for a dinner that ends after the pubs fill.
St. Patrick's Festival 2027 at a glance
- Festival dates: Saturday 13 to Wednesday 17 March 2027, per the official St. Patrick's Festival site.
- Parade: 12 noon on Wednesday 17 March, starting at Parnell Square, running down O'Connell Street, over O'Connell Bridge and through the south side of the city, ending at the Cuffe Street/Kevin Street junction, a route of about 3.2 km (2 mi).
- Tickets: the parade is free to watch along the route; covered, tiered grandstand seats are sold by the festival.
- Programme: the full schedule of festival events is published in January 2027.
- Accessibility: wheelchair-accessible viewing areas on O'Connell Street, on Westmoreland Street and at St Patrick's Cathedral, with applications opening in mid-January 2027, and a Relaxed Parade Space for neurodivergent visitors.
The parade map and route page shows the full route and the grandstands. The southern end of the route is not far from St Stephen's Green, the reference point for the Dublin price list, and many of the city's hotels sit on or near the route, which shapes how and when a car can reach them.
Arriving at Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport (DUB) is about 17 km (10 mi) from St Stephen's Green, roughly 26 minutes on a clear road. It has two terminals, Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. Your chauffeur tracks the flight number you give us and waits in the arrivals hall of your terminal with a name board, after you clear Irish immigration and collect your bags. Overnight flights from North America tend to land in a cluster early in the morning, and passport queues vary, which is why waiting after a tracked landing is complimentary.
| Route or package | Business Sedan | Business SUV | First Class Sedan | Executive Sprinter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dublin Airport (DUB) to St Stephen's Green | US$120 | US$160 | US$210 | US$315 |
| DUB round trip | US$230 | US$305 | US$400 | US$600 |
| By the hour, as directed (3-hour minimum) | US$85 | US$110 | US$140 | US$170 |
| Evening out and event night (5 hours) | US$425 | US$550 | US$700 | US$850 |
| Full-day chauffeur (8 hours) | US$630 | US$810 | US$1,035 | US$1,255 |
| Powerscourt and the Wicklow Mountains (6 hours) | US$470 | US$610 | US$775 | US$940 |
Prices are per vehicle and all-in: chauffeur, vehicle, taxes, standard gratuity and airport meet and greet. Tolls, parking and waiting beyond the included time are billed at cost. A First Class SUV is US$195 from the airport. The price list does not change for festival week. More on airport transfers.
Arriving on 17 March itself. If your flight lands on the morning of the parade, tell the desk. The chauffeur will take you as close to your hotel as the closures allow, and the last stretch may be on foot; for a hotel inside the closed area, a mid-morning arrival is often easier if your hotel can hold the bags. Arriving on 15 or 16 March avoids the issue altogether.
Flying home to the US. Dublin has US preclearance: according to Dublin Airport, US flights depart from Terminal 2 and you clear US immigration and customs before boarding. The airport recommends arriving three hours before a long-haul flight, and from the city centre we usually suggest a pickup about three and a half hours before departure. 18 March, the day after the parade, is a busy day to fly home.
The parade-day plan
Morning. If you are watching the parade, walk to your spot early; the festival recommends arriving early to secure a place. If you have a hotel move or an airport run that morning, book it early, before the closures tighten, and tell the desk your hotel so the chauffeur can plan the approach.
During the parade. The car is of no use inside the closed area, so this is the time not to book one. If you are leaving the centre straight after the parade, for lunch in Howth or a drive to the Wicklow Mountains, agree a pickup point outside the closures with the desk in advance.
Afternoon and evening. The closures run into the late afternoon. After that, the city is busy, taxis are scarce, and many visitors want a car for a dinner outside the centre or a ride back to a hotel in Ballsbridge or by the airport. The evening out and event night package, five hours from US$425 in a Business Sedan to US$850 in an Executive Sprinter, covers the drop-off, the wait and the ride back. By the hour, Dublin costs from US$85 in a Business Sedan to US$170 in an Executive Sprinter, with a 3-hour minimum. See hourly chauffeur service and event transportation.
Festival week is more than one day. The programme from 13 to 16 March brings events across the city, and the evening package and hourly bookings work the same way on those days, without the parade-day closures.
Families, groups and visiting delegations
St Patrick's week brings families, alumni groups, marching bands' supporters, tour groups and official visitors from around the world. An Executive Sprinter moves a group and its luggage in one vehicle, US$315 from the airport or US$170 by the hour, and child seats are available on request. For larger groups, the desk schedules several vehicles under one reference with staggered pickups. See group transportation and the Sprinter van with driver.
Companies hosting clients during festival week can open a corporate account for fixed airport fares, monthly invoicing and a named contact. Tour operators and travel agents selling festival packages can use travel-agent accounts. For senior guests and delegations, chauffeurs are briefed only on timing and route, and the desk signs non-disclosure agreements on request. Elly8.net is a transportation service, not a security company; protective details should be arranged separately. See government and diplomatic transportation.
Coach, taxi, walking or a chauffeur: the honest comparison
Dublin has no rail link to its airport, but the coach and taxi options are good, and in festival week walking is often the best way to move around the centre.
| Option | Price (airport to city centre) | Time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dublin Express coach | from €9 one-way booked online | fastest service 14 min via the Port Tunnel, longer at peak | One or two travellers, hotel near a coach stop |
| Licensed taxi from the rank | metered, €30-45 to the city per Dublin Airport | 25 to 45 min | Walk-up arrivals, no booking |
| Uber | books a licensed taxi, metered | same as a taxi | Travellers who prefer an app |
| Walking in the city centre | free | depends on crowds | Parade day inside the closures |
| Elly8.net business sedan | US$120 fixed, per vehicle | door to door where roads are open | Families, groups, early arrivals, fixed budgets |
The Dublin Express coach is genuinely good value: from €9 one-way when booked online, with its fastest journey into the city taking 14 minutes through the Port Tunnel. Dublin Airport's taxi page estimates €30-45 for a metered taxi to the city. In Ireland, Uber books licensed taxis rather than private drivers, so an app ride from the airport is a metered taxi. For one traveller with one case, the coach is hard to beat, and we would say so.
A pre-booked chauffeur wins when the trip is not simple: a family of four with luggage after an overnight flight, a group heading to a hotel in Ballsbridge, a business traveller going straight to a meeting in the Docklands, or anyone who wants the departure for 18 March locked in at a fixed price. See chauffeur vs taxi and chauffeur vs airport shuttle.
Before and after the festival
Many visitors use festival week to see more of Ireland. The signature Dublin day trip is six hours to Powerscourt and the Wicklow Mountains, from US$470 in a Business Sedan to US$940 in an Executive Sprinter, a good choice for 16 March or 18 March, away from the parade. The private city highlights tour runs from US$340 to US$680. The Dublin car service page covers the airport, the districts and the year's events.
Visitors continuing their trip can book cars in London, Edinburgh, Manchester and Paris for the other end of the flight. Flights and hotels can be booked through our travel partner BookingWorldwide.net; Elly8.net books the car.
How booking works
- Enter the pickup and drop-off: Dublin Airport and your flight number, your hotel, or a dinner address.
- Choose the vehicle, from Business Sedan to Executive Sprinter, or an hourly package.
- Press Reserve now on the Dublin price list, or use the web booker for any address. Confirmation arrives by email, with the chauffeur's details before pickup.
Partner vehicles are four model years old or newer (seven for Rolls-Royce, Maybach and Bentley). Elly8.net is a member of LimousineWorldwide.Directory, LimousineAssociation.International, HotelsWorldwide.Directory and VacationsWorldwide.Directory. Festival week fills Dublin's hotels and chauffeured cars together, so reserve now.
Frequently asked questions
When is the St. Patrick's Day parade in Dublin in 2027?
The National St. Patrick's Day Parade begins at 12 noon on Wednesday 17 March 2027. It starts at Parnell Square, runs down O'Connell Street and over O'Connell Bridge, and ends at the Cuffe Street/Kevin Street junction. The wider festival runs from Saturday 13 to Wednesday 17 March.
Can a car get through Dublin city centre on St Patrick's Day?
Not on the parade route while it is closed. The festival says road closures run from early morning until late afternoon, and the 2027 closures are published closer to the date. The chauffeur drops you and collects you at points outside the closed area, and the desk plans the timing around them.
How much is a transfer from Dublin Airport during the festival?
The price does not change for festival week. Dublin Airport to St Stephen's Green is US$120 in a Business Sedan, US$160 in a Business SUV, US$210 in a First Class Sedan and US$315 in an Executive Sprinter, per vehicle and all-in, with meet and greet inside arrivals.
Is the Dublin Express coach a better option?
For one traveller with light luggage, often yes: it is from €9 one-way booked online, and its fastest journey takes 14 minutes via the Port Tunnel. A car is better for families and groups with luggage, early arrivals, hotels away from coach stops and anyone heading straight to a meeting.
Do you provide child seats?
Yes, on request at booking. Tell the desk the age and weight of each child and the seat is fitted before pickup, for the airport run, an evening out or a day in the Wicklow Mountains.
What is the cancellation policy?
Free more than 72 hours before pickup; 10% at 72 hours or less; 50% at 48 hours or less; 100% at 24 hours or less or for a no-show. Refunds go to the original card.
When should we book?
As soon as your flights and hotel are confirmed. Festival week is one of Dublin's busiest, and 17 and 18 March are the days the larger vehicles go first.
