Luck of the Irish, shamrocks, leprechauns and getting pinched if you’re not wearing green — while these are prominent themes of the upcoming Irish holiday, we all know that St. Patrick’s Day is a huge drinking holiday. Why does everyone insist on consuming a huge amount of whiskey, stout and Irish Car Bombs? I’m not sure. But I am sure that there is a bounty of places to celebrate this weekend and on Monday. Here are our top bars to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day:

Hotel Congress
311 E. Congress St.
This Friday is not just any ordinary Friday. It’s Green Friday, which means river dancing, Irish whiskey tasting and drink specials at Hotel Congress. Oh, and there’s a mechanical bull. Not Irish, but festive nonetheless. On Saturday at midnight, there will be a Great Guinness toast. Cheers.

Loews Ventana Canyon
7000 N. Resort Dr. 5:30-7:30 p.m.
The foothills resort is hosting a happy hour of Jameson whiskey from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Jameson has a strong Irish heritage, and what better way to celebrate than with a discounted whiskey drink?

The Irish Pub
9155 E. Tanque Verde Rd.
The name of the establishment tells you all you need to know: It’s an Irish pub. The pub opens at 11 a.m. on St. Patrick’s Day and will have a limited menu of corned beef and cabbage. The bar has an Irish whiskey shot special and is giving away “Irish themed gifts.” The best part? Bagpipers will be stopping by at random times throughout the entire day.

The Auld Dubliner
800 E. University Blvd.
What could possibly be better than Monday night karaoke at The Dub? Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day at The Dub, of course. It opens at 6 a.m. on Monday and has a special permit that will allow it to serve booze in the adjacent outdoor plaza. There will also be Irish bands playing all day.

Maynards Market
400 N. Toole Ave., 5-7 p.m.
The Irish beer tasting means Maynards will be an awesome place to drink for St. Patrick’s Day, but what makes it an even better destination is its soda bread and array of Irish desserts to go along with your Guinness, Harp, O’Hara’s, Irish Red, Snithwick’s or Kilteraiser. Irish bread and Irish beer equals match made in Irish heaven.

St. Patrick’s Day parade and festival
Armory Park, South Sixth Avenue,
10 a.m.
So this isn’t a bar, but it’s an awesome place to go for a Guinness toast and some traditional St. Patrick’s Day festivities. The 27-year-old tradition starts at Stone Avenue and 16th Street, where Irish dancing, floats and green garbed revelers will parade all the way to Armory Park. The festival will feature all sorts of Irish food, music and entertainment.