In Norman, St. Patrick’s Day is more than just a date on the calendar. It’s a tradition generations have grown up with, circled every March, and planned their weekends around.
At the center of it all is O’Connell’s Irish Pub & Grille on Campus Corner. What started decades ago as a lively pub celebration has grown into Oklahoma’s largest St. Patrick’s Day party and one of Norman’s most enduring annual events. This year marks the 58th celebration, and if you’ve ever experienced it, you know why it continues to draw crowds year after year.
The Week Before: Green Eggs & Ham Breakfast
The festivities actually begin the week prior with one of the most uniquely Norman traditions you’ll find anywhere. Since the 1980s, the staff, students, and parents of Pumpkin Shell School have gathered at O’Connell’s for the annual Green Eggs & Ham Breakfast. Inspired by Dr. Seuss and fully embracing the spirit of the season, the event blends childhood whimsy with a little Irish fun.
The Leprechaun helps set the tone, passing out St. Pat’s green beads and plates of his favorite breakfast while families fill the pub. For many Norman kids, this breakfast becomes their first introduction to St. Patrick’s Day on Campus Corner. Years later, they return as college students, alumni, or parents themselves, continuing the tradition.
The Spring Break Send-Off: St. Practice Day
Because OU and Norman Public Schools often schedule spring break around St. Patrick’s Day, O’Connell’s created something extra for students heading out of town. St. Practice Day takes place on Thursday, March 12.
The Thursday before break has become its own celebration, and the name says it all. It is practice for St. Pat’s. Expect gallons of green fun, T-shirts, beads, and live music as Campus Corner fills up ahead of spring break departures. It is part warm-up, part send-off, giving students a chance to celebrate before heading out of town while keeping the momentum building toward St. Patrick’s Day itself.
The Main Event: The 58th Annual St. Patrick’s Party
The main event takes place on Tuesday, March 17, and it starts early. Staff arrive at 4:30 in the morning, and it is not unusual to see people already lined up outside. By 5:30 a.m., 98.9 Kiss FM is on-site sharing the excitement, and at 7:00 a.m., the doors officially open with the Highlanders Pipe & Drum band leading the way across Campus Corner. From there, the celebration continues all day and into the early hours of the next morning.
One of the biggest draws of O’Connell’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration is the music. This is not a one-band afternoon but a full-day lineup that keeps the energy high from morning to night. This year’s performers include Hosty, Bad Genes, Born in November, Weekend Allstars, VIBE, and (of course) the Highlanders Pipe & Drum.
Add in karaoke, the return of the Green Eggs & Ham Breakfast, and 2026 souvenir mugs filled with O’Connell’s signature green beverage, and you have a full-day celebration that spills from the pub into the parking lot and across Campus Corner. The scale is impressive, but what really makes it special is the mix of people. Students, alumni, longtime locals, and first-time visitors all find themselves shoulder to shoulder, celebrating a tradition that has been nearly six decades in the making.
Owner Jeff Stewart has watched it grow year after year. “St. Patrick’s Day has always been special here,” Jeff says. “At this point, people come back every year, they bring friends, and Campus Corner really comes alive.”
“People come back every year, they bring friends, and Campus Corner really comes alive."
O’Connell’s has also long been part of the rhythm of Campus Corner and the broader Norman community. Whether it’s supporting local events or leaning into citywide celebrations like the Maverick Criterium, where racers fly past the pub on their laps through Campus Corner, the team at O’Connell’s has always embraced the energy of the community around them.
2025 Maverick Criterium on Campus Corner
A Norman Tradition
For 58 years, O’Connell’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration has marked the unofficial start of spring in Norman. Generations of Sooners have made memories here. Parents who once celebrated as students now bring their own kids. Alumni plan return trips around it. Local businesses count on it as one of the most vibrant days of the year.
It isn’t just a party. It’s a reunion that happens every March. So wear something green, get there early, and be ready to run into just about everyone you know.
