St. Patrick’s Day is one of those holidays that has a way of turning an ordinary day into a full-blown street party. From the 42nd annual Phoenix St. Patrick’s Day Parade winding through downtown to the packed patios along Mill Avenue in Tempe and the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds filling Old Town Scottsdale’s bars, St. Patrick’s Day in Arizona brings out tens of thousands of people looking to have a good time.
Unfortunately, every year, some celebrations end badly; car accidents on the way home, falls outside crowded venues, pedestrians struck in busy intersections, and worse. The Arizona personal injury attorneys at Lerner and Rowe see the aftermath of these incidents firsthand, which is why we put together this updated guide to help you stay safe during the St. Patrick’s Day festivities.
St. Patrick’s Day in Arizona Safety Tips
Plan Your Ride Home Before You Leave the House
This is the single most important thing you can do. Before you head out to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Arizona, figure out exactly how you’re getting home. Designating a sober driver works great if you’re going out as a group and some people genuinely want to skip the alcohol. But have a real backup: download a rideshare app, save a local cab company’s number, or arrange for someone to pick you up later.
Areas like Old Town Scottsdale and the Westgate Entertainment District in Glendale see enormous surges in rideshare demand on St. Patrick’s Day, so prices spike and wait times stretch. Request your ride early or walk to a less congested pickup spot a block or two away from the main venue strips to avoid the chaos.
Drive Defensively: St. Patrick’s Day in Arizona Means More Drunk Drivers
Not going out? You should still be careful. Holidays with heavy drinking–and St. Patrick’s Day absolutely qualifies–reliably spike the number of drunk driving accidents on Arizona roads. Intersections near big event areas like Downtown Chandler, Tempe’s Rio Salado corridor, and the streets surrounding the Phoenix’s Irish Cultural Center carry higher risk throughout the day and into the early morning hours.
A real scenario our Arizona personal injury attorneys have handled: a driver heading home from a late shift gets T-boned at a Scottsdale Road intersection by someone who ran a red light after a bar closed. The victim suffered a traumatic brain injury–one of the most serious and life-altering outcomes of a St. Patrick’s Day car accident–requiring months of rehabilitation. If you see someone weaving, driving too slowly, or acting erratically, pull over safely and call 911 immediately.
Motorcyclists face even steeper odds on this holiday. A motorcyclist traveling on the Loop 202 near Tempe Marketplace can be seriously hurt in a sideswipe by an impaired driver who drifts lanes without checking mirrors. Motorcycle accidents on nights like St. Patrick’s Day frequently result in catastrophic injuries–spinal damage, multiple broken bones, or limb loss–because riders simply have no protective barrier around them. If you ride, consider leaving the bike home this particular night.
Tell Someone Your Plans Before You Head Out
If you’re going out to celebrate, tell a friend or family member who isn’t joining you exactly where you’re going, who you’ll be with, and when you expect to be home. Mill Avenue in Tempe fills up fast, and it’s easy to drift from one venue to the next without anyone knowing where you are. A quick text when your plans change–”heading to Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row now” or “going to an after-party in Scottsdale“–can make a huge difference if something goes wrong.
That same trusted contact can serve as your designated driver backup if your original plans fall apart. It’s a small habit that costs nothing and could matter enormously.
Stick Together
Crowded venues, like those along Camelback Road in Phoenix or around Tempe Town Lake, during outdoor St. Patrick’s Day events make it very easy to lose your group. Before the night starts, pick a meeting spot–a specific corner, a restaurant entrance, something easy to find–in case you get separated. Keep your phone charged and set it to vibrate rather than relying on hearing it ring in a noisy bar.
There’s real safety in numbers on big drinking holidays. Lone individuals are far more vulnerable to opportunistic theft, harassment, or simply wandering into dangerous situations without anyone noticing. Agree as a group: nobody leaves alone.
Be Extra Careful When Crossing the Street on St. Patrick’s Day in Arizona
Pedestrian accidents spike dramatically on St. Patrick’s Day across the Phoenix Metro area. The combination of impaired drivers and impaired pedestrians creates a genuinely dangerous environment at crosswalks. Areas around Old Town Scottsdale–especially along Scottsdale Road and Indian School Road–and the Mill Avenue entertainment strip in Tempe see heavy foot traffic that often spills into the street.
A pedestrian who steps off the curb mid-block after leaving a bar in downtown Phoenix and gets struck by a passing vehicle could suffer broken bones in the legs and hips–common in these collisions–or, in more severe cases, a traumatic brain injury if they hit the pavement hard. Our Arizona personal injury attorneys want you to come home from the celebration in one piece: cross only at marked crosswalks, wait for the walk signal, and don’t assume a car will stop for you just because you have the right of way. On St. Patrick’s Day, not every driver is paying full attention.
Leave Valuables at Home
Crowded bars and outdoor events are prime environments for pickpockets and opportunistic theft. Packing expensive jewelry, a high-end watch, or a lot of cash into a crowded venue like Westgate in Glendale or an outdoor festival near Peoria is an invitation for trouble. Bring your ID, a card, and maybe a small amount of cash. Use a secure, close-fitting bag or a front pocket rather than a backpack.
It’s also easy to simply misplace things when you’re distracted and having fun. People lose phones, wallets, and keys at bars every year during large events. Minimizing what you carry means minimizing what you could lose.
Watch Your Alcohol Consumption
Pace yourself. Drink water between alcoholic drinks. Eat a real meal before you head out–not just bar snacks–because food slows alcohol absorption. Drinking on an empty stomach at a place like Culinary Dropout in Tempe or The Parlor in Phoenix can lead to much faster intoxication than you’d expect. Impaired judgment doesn’t just mean making bad decisions; it means being slower to react, easier to victimize, and far more likely to be involved in any number of accidents.
Remember: you can have a genuinely great time on St. Patrick’s Day in Arizona without getting to the point of impairment. Plenty of people do it every year. And if you do drink, remember to never drive under the influence. There’s no version of that story with a good ending.
Don’t Leave Your Drink Unattended
This applies at every event, every year, but it bears repeating. Never leave your drink unattended at a bar or party. If you set it down and walk away, even for a minute, consider it compromised. Unwanted substances added to drinks can leave you completely incapacitated, putting you in a genuinely dangerous situation with strangers around.
Order drinks only from bartenders or servers you can see preparing them. Don’t accept drinks from strangers. If you feel suddenly and unexpectedly disoriented, let someone in your group know immediately and get to a safe place. These situations are rare, but they do happen on high-volume drinking nights at large venues.
Watch Your Step: Slip-and-Fall Accidents Are More Common Than You Think
Wet floors near bar entrances and bathrooms, uneven pavement on patios, steps that are hard to see in dim lighting, crowded staircases at multi-level venues–slip-and-fall accidents are surprisingly common at St. Patrick’s Day events across the Phoenix Metro area. Spilled drinks on tile floors at popular Scottsdale bars create genuinely slippery conditions. A patron hurrying to the restroom can go down hard and come away with a fractured wrist or worse.
In some cases, these falls result in catastrophic injuries when the person strikes their head on a hard surface. Brain injuries from falls are far more serious than people typically assume–a fall that doesn’t look that bad can still cause a concussion or a more severe traumatic brain injury with lasting effects. If you fall at a venue and believe it was caused by a hazardous condition the establishment failed to address, the Arizona personal injury attorneys at Lerner and Rowe can review your situation.
Watch where you’re walking, especially at busy outdoor events like those held near Tempe Town Lake or in the parking lots around Westgate. Wear shoes with actual grip, not fashion footwear with smooth soles.
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Arizona from the Safety of Your Own Home
Hosting at home is genuinely one of the best ways to enjoy St. Patrick’s Day in Arizona without the risk. You control the environment, you can monitor alcohol consumption, you can take guests’ keys if they’ve had too much, and you can provide a safe place to sleep. No rideshare surge pricing, no crowded crosswalks, no strangers setting things down in your drink. Invite a good group, cook some food, and enjoy the holiday on your own terms.
If guests have had too much to drink, set up a guest room or a couch with blankets before the party starts. A little planning goes a long way toward making sure everyone gets home safe, because in this case, home is already where the party is.
Injured on St. Patrick’s Day in Arizona? Contact Lerner and Rowe.
The team at Lerner and Rowe Injury Attorneys genuinely hopes everyone celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Arizona this year has a wonderful time. You can enjoy the parades, the bar crawls, and the backyard parties while still being smart about safety. Most people who take reasonable precautions get home just fine.
Unfortunately, some accidents happen no matter how many safety precautions you take. If you or someone you love is injured during the holiday–whether it’s a drunk driving accident, a motorcycle crash, a pedestrian collision, or a slip-and-fall at a negligent venue–Lerner and Rowe’s Arizona personal injury attorneys are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. With billion-dollar total results and over 240 years of combined legal experience, we know how to fight for the compensation you deserve after a serious injury. And because of our “no fee promise” policy, you won’t owe us anything unless we win your case.
If you’ve been injured in an accident, reach out to us with a live representative, call us at phone number, or submit your case information through our secure online form.