St Patrick’s day pours into town

Manawatu pubs are gearing up for one of the busiest days of the year, with thousands of litres of Ireland’s most famous beverage set to be poured by the pint.

People will be donning their greenest outfits in the region’s bars on Friday to celebrate St Patrick’s Day.

Initially founded as a Christian feast to mark the death of Ireland’s patron saint, the festival is now more commonly used as a good excuse for a party, no matter what you believe or where in the world you live.

Manawatu’s bars always get in on the action, with the city’s Irish drinking holes often filled to capacity regardless of the time someone visits.

Rosie O’grady’s general manager Karl Turner said it was always the busiest day of the year. However, a St Patrick’s Day landing on a Friday was something else.

‘‘It has been a little while since we have done a Friday one, but we expect to go through around 15 or 20 kegs of Guinness,’’ Turner said. ‘‘That’s about 1000 litres.’’

With a typical Guinness glass holding 500ml of the famous stout, that adds up to about 2000 pints in a day. Turner said the bar would be opening at 8am, three hours earlier than usual, to serve big breakfasts to those having an early start.

There would also be giveaways and spot prizes during the day. But perhaps the most bizarre event would be a raw potato eating competition involving punters lining up at 4pm in an attempt to eat a raw spud faster than anyone else.

Turner said he had no idea where the idea came from, but it had been a hit in the past three years.

‘‘I think the owner just came up with it and tried it one year. It’s probably more fun to watch than anything.’’

Metservice duty forecaster Cameron Coutts said Friday’s weather was looking good across the country, with Palmerston North expected to reach 22 degrees Celsius. Coutts also had some advice for the day. ‘‘Don some sunblock.’’