Many famous sites globally to go green to mark St. Patrick’s Day

Friday, March 15, 2019

Rollerskaters in Paris carrying green glowsticks, cyclists in Amsterdam with green-illuminated wheels and start-up entrepreneurs pitching for funding in a green-lit ice hole in Finland – these are all part of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations globally.

Themed-events worldwide have gone from strength to strength following Tourism Ireland’s Global Greening initiative which started in 2010. That time, both the Sydney Opera House and the Sky Tower in Auckland turned shades of green in honor of Ireland’s patron saint.

Around 425 sites in 53 countries have signed up to take part this year. In the coming days, from Rome to Rio and from London to Las Vegas, green will be the dominant colour on famous buildings and sites.

One of the quirkiest will be in Oulu in northern Finland. It involves an eccentric sub-zero start-up competition called Polar Bear Pitching – with entrepreneurs standing waist-deep in a hole cut through the frozen Baltic Sea for the duration of their pitches.

The ice hole and the intrepid entrepreneurs will be illuminated in green, with the entrepreneurs trying their best to win funding for their business ideas.

Among new buildings and sites taking part in Tourism Ireland’s initiative this year are Victoria Falls, Burj Khalifa in Dubai and Lord’s Cricket Pavilion in London.

“St. Patrick’s Day traditionally marks the real start of the tourism season for us,” said Niall Gibbons, the chief executive of Tourism Ireland.

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