St. Patrick's Day drinking games for a party at home
St. Patrick's Day games work best with a little theme and a lot of pacing: a wearing-green rule, an Irish trivia round, Luck of the Irish (a coin toss that decides who sips), and a King's Cup where the cup is the pot of gold. It is a long day for most people, so keep every game to sips and eat before the first round.
Quick picks
| Game | You need | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| The wearing-green rule | Something green | All day |
| Irish trivia | A quiz master | Teams |
| Luck of the Irish | A coin | Quick rounds |
| Pot of gold King’s Cup | Deck, a cup | House parties |
| Green vs white Flip Cup | Table, cups | Big groups |
| Irish Categories | Nothing | Anytime |
| Paddy’s bingo | Printed cards | Going out after |
| Wrecked (app) | One phone | Before you head out |
1. The wearing-green rule
Anyone who turns up without something green sips. Once an hour, anyone can point out a player who has taken their green off and hand them a sip. No pinching: just pointing.
2. Irish trivia
Split into two teams. The quiz master reads ten questions: the capital of Ireland, the colours of the flag, what a shamrock has three of, who St. Patrick was, the name of Ireland’s longest river, the instrument on Ireland’s coat of arms. Each wrong answer is a sip for the team. Write the questions beforehand; it takes ten minutes.
3. Luck of the Irish
Each player in turn calls heads or tails and flips a coin. Right: hand out a sip. Wrong: sip. Three right in a row: make a rule for the rest of the party. It takes no setup and works with any number of people.
4. Pot of gold King’s Cup
Play King’s Cup with one theme change: the cup in the middle is the pot of gold, and each King adds a splash of something green (or a soft drink). The fourth King drinks the pot, or everyone toasts with it if it has got too full. The online deck on that page works on any phone.
5. Green vs white Flip Cup
Two teams, one in green and one in white, on either side of a table. Drink a small pour, flip your cup until it lands upside down, next teammate goes. Best of five. Flip Cup rules.
6. Irish Categories
Name a category, go round the circle, the first to blank or repeat sips. Categories: Irish towns, Irish bands, things that are green, famous Irish people, Irish foods.
7. Paddy’s bingo
Going out after? Print bingo cards with things that will happen: “someone does a bad Irish accent”, “a stranger has a shamrock on their face”, “a fiddle starts playing”, “someone claims they are 1% Irish”. First line wins; the others sip. Make the cards on our drinking bingo page.
8. Let an app run the pregame
Most St. Patrick’s Day parties at home are a warm-up for going out. Wrecked runs one game on one phone for 2 to 16 people: one person reads the cards, the app decides who drinks, and you can stop the minute the taxi arrives. More ideas for a short warm-up in pregame games.
Pace the day
St. Patrick’s Day is often an all-day event, which makes pacing the most important rule. Eat first, play with sips, alternate with water, and let anyone swap in a soft drink. Plan the way home before you leave. More on our responsible drinking page.
Questions people ask
What are good St. Patrick's Day drinking games?
A wearing-green rule, Irish trivia, Luck of the Irish with a coin, a pot of gold King's Cup, Flip Cup in green and white teams, and Categories with Irish topics. All of them work at home before heading out.
What is the wearing-green rule?
Anyone not wearing something green when they arrive takes a sip, and once an hour anyone can point out a player who is not in green and hand them a sip. It is the easiest theme rule there is.
How do you play Luck of the Irish?
Each player in turn calls heads or tails and flips a coin. Right, they hand out a sip; wrong, they sip. Three right in a row and they make a rule for the rest of the party.
How do you pace drinking on St. Patrick's Day?
Start late, eat first, play with sips, and match every drink with water. Most people go out after, so treat the games as a pregame, not the whole night.
Who's gettingwrecked tonight?
Wrecked turns all of this into one game on one phone: 1,800+ cards, rules that stack, chaos every 5 cards and a personal roast for everyone at the end.
