This Sunday is St. Patrick’s Day (17 March), an important mini-season in the party and costume world which sees retailers looking to capitalise on the occasion and consumers ready for any excuse to let their hair down.
According to Mark Brett, UK agent for Boland Party, mini events such as St. Patrick’s Day are becoming increasingly important to party suppliers, with the extended carnival season still leading the way, with events and parades taking places right up to Easter itself.
“St Patrick’s Day is becoming increasingly popular throughout Europe,” says Mark. “There are few large towns in the world that don’t have an Irish pub or two and they all want to join in! The night of the week on which it falls has a big impact on its success – it’s a Sunday this year so we expect to see some sore heads on Monday!”
Fun Shack’s marketing manager Alice Knight agrees that St Patrick’s Day is particularly popular. “We have seen a huge demand for our leprechauns year-on-year,” she states.
“These are a classic line for us and part of our core collection, but there’s no getting away from the fact that the bulk of their success is focused on the celebrations being held during the first few months of the year.”
