As March 17th approaches, we look at the best Canadian cities to celebrate St Patrick’s Day in.
From lively street parades to packed Irish establishments and community celebrations, the Irish holiday has become a much-loved fixture in the Canadian cultural calendar.
But where exactly in Canada offers the best place to celebrate? To find out, the Betway Casino analysed major Canadian cities using several key factors: search interest in St. Patrick’s Day, the cost of a meal for two, safety scores, the percentage of residents with Irish ancestry, and whether a St. Patrick’s Day parade will take place in 2026.
The results reveal a mix of big cities and smaller cultural hubs, showing that some of the best celebrations can be found outside the country’s largest metropolitan areas.
Below are the top ten Canadian cities to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in 2026:
City | Search Interest (in 1000s) | Meal For Two Cost CA$ | Safety Score | Percentage Irish Origin | Parade Yes/No | Final Score |
Peterborough | 10.9 | 80 | 50.5 | 29.9 | Yes | 98.86 |
Toronto | 423 | 120 | 56.3 | 9.8 | Yes | 90.50 |
Charlottetown | 6.5 | 80 | 68.3 | 27.1 | No | 84.19 |
Quebec City | 10.2 | 92.5 | 77.6 | 4.4 | Yes | 81.35 |
St. John’s | 17.7 | 90 | 57.2 | 29.6 | No | 74.38 |
Barrie | 15.5 | 85 | 58.9 | 21.6 | No | 67.99 |
Oshawa | 17.8 | 80 | 60.2 | 17.7 | No | 67.76 |
Edmonton | 99.2 | 80 | 53.2 | 14.3 | No | 66.80 |
Montreal | 103.3 | 120 | 67.1 | 6 | Yes | 61.59 |
London | 56.4 | 85 | 46.2 | 17.8 | No | 60.18 |
Topping the rankings is Peterborough, which scores an impressive 98.86 overall. Nearly 30% of the city’s population has Irish ancestry, one of the highest shares in the country. Combined with an official St. Patrick’s Day parade planned for 2026 and relatively affordable dining costs, Peterborough stands out as an ideal place for festive celebrations. Overall, its strong Irish roots make this city an obvious winner.
Canada’s largest city, Toronto, claims second place, largely thanks to its enormous public interest in the holiday. Toronto generated 423,000 Google searches related to St. Patrick’s Day, the highest figure by far in the study. The city’s sizeable Irish-descended population and long-running St. Patrick’s Day parade help make it one of the country’s biggest celebrations.
Completing the top three is Charlottetown, capital of Prince Edward Island. Despite its smaller population and lower search interest, the city scores highly thanks to its 27.1% Irish-origin population, strong safety score (68.3) and affordable dining options (80 CA$ for a two-person meal). In total, Charlottetown’s deep Irish roots make it well worthy of a place on this study’s podium.
Quebec City, meanwhile, ranks fourth overall and is one of the safest cities in the top ten, with a safety score of 77.6. The city will also host a St. Patrick’s Day parade in 2026, which plays a key role in its ranking.
Few Canadian cities have cultural ties to Ireland as strong as St. John’s, Newfoundland. Almost 30% of residents claim Irish ancestry, helping it score highly in the rankings. Irish culture is deeply embedded in the region’s identity, famously influencing music, language and storytelling.
Several other cities also make strong cases as St. Patrick’s Day destinations. Barrie (6th) with over 21% Irish ancestry, boasts one of the highest Irish heritage shares outside the top five. While affordable dining and solid safety scores help Oshawa (7th) place highly in the rankings.
The largest western Canadian city in the top ten, Edmonton (8th) shows high search interest for the holiday. Montreal (9th) hosts one of North America’s oldest St. Patrick’s Day parades, though higher meal costs and scarce Irish ancestry affect its score. London, Ontario (10th) rounds out the top ten with strong search interest and a sizeable Irish-origin population.
Summary
Canada’s strong St. Patrick’s Day culture reflects its long history of Irish immigration. During the 19th century, large numbers of Irish settlers arrived in Canada, particularly in Atlantic Canada and Ontario. As a result, the holiday has evolved into an important nationwide celebration of heritage, culture and community.
With all of this considered, St Patrick’s Day 2026 in Canada is sure to be another sea of green for all to remember!
Methodology
To determine the best Canadian cities for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in 2026, several factors were analysed:
Search interest: Local search volume for St. Patrick’s Day-related terms
Meal cost: Average cost of a meal for two, sourced from Numbeo
Safety score: City safety ratings from Numbeo
Irish population: Percentage of residents with Irish ancestry, based on Canadian Census data
Parade presence: Confirmation of a 2026 St. Patrick’s Day parade, sourced from the Government of Ireland
These metrics were combined and normalised into a final score between 1 and 100.
Search interest, Irish population and parade presence were given the greatest weighting, while meal cost and safety scores were weighted at half value.
