(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day, but new figures about St. Patrick's Day spending suggests that's more than just a phrase.
The National Retail Federation expects Americans to spend more than $7 billion on St. Patrick’s Day, which falls on a Sunday this year. That's a 4 percent increase over 2023 and a 22 percent increase over 2022.
Izzy Kharasch, president of Hospitality Works in Chicago, tells the Noon Business Hour the occasion is no longer just a celebration of Ireland and Irish culture.
“Everybody in the country is looking for different reasons to celebrate many things, and St. Paddy’s Day is certainly a huge one,” he said Wednesday.
The holiday has added significance in the hospitality industry now because bars and restaurants were shut down shortly before St. Patrick’s Day in 2020 because of COVID-19.
Revelers still want to make up for some lost living, he said.
“It’s going to be certainly the biggest St. Paddy’s Day in the country since COVID, and that’s because everybody’s ready to celebrate and, of course, everybody’s Irish.”
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