Turning green for busy St Patrick's Day

Green eyes will be smiling, and probably a bit glassy, tomorrow as Tauranga bars go all out in preparation for their busiest St Patrick's Day yet.

Mount Mellick owner Clayton Mitchell ordered 30 extra kegs of Guinness beer especially for the event.

"We are honestly one of the largest, if not the largest, place in the Bay of Plenty and Waikato for [ordering] Guinness anyway," Mr Mitchell said.

A late licence would enable use of the pub's rear courtyard tomorrow night. With bar stations on both levels of the pub and live bands throughout the day, Mr Mitchell expected things would be exceptionally busy. The day starts early, with the Mellick and The Strand's Cornerstone Pub offering Irish breakfasts at 9am. Cornerstone Pub manager Amy Porter said the pub always celebrated St Patrick's Day but tomorrow was "always going to be busier than normal".

"I don't ever remember it falling on a Saturday," she said.

The pub is hosting an Irish Mile competition with radio station ZM.

Entrants in teams of four, appropriately dressed in green of course, are each required to walk or run a mile around the city centre before returning to the pub.

The team member will then have to gobble through a jelly shot and green sausage before another member of the team takes over.

Down the road, De Bier Haus will transform into De St Patrick's Haus, owner Matt Hayward said.

They were putting Guinness on tap especially for the day and offering it at a discounted $6 a pint, Mr Hayward said.

"Last year we had it on tap but stopped it and bring it back for special occasions, and this is a pretty special occasion."

Extra staff had been rostered on for the day and night.

"We just like any occasion that gets people having a good time and drinking a beer," Mr Hayward said.

St Patrick's Day origins

St Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, the saint's religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for more than 1000 years. On St Patrick's Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink and feast - on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.