a white goose wearing a green hat on a green background, celebrating St Patrick's Day

St. Patrick’s Day Scavenger Hunt for Adults: 15 Fun Party & Pub Crawl Ideas

Looking for a fun way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with friends, coworkers, or party guests? A St. Patrick’s Day scavenger hunt for adults is one of the best ways to turn any celebration into an interactive adventure.

Whether you're hosting a party, organizing a pub crawl, or planning a team event, a themed scavenger hunt adds excitement, friendly competition, and plenty of laughs. Participants can complete photo challenges, solve clues, and race to earn the most points.

Below you’ll find 15 St. Patrick’s Day scavenger hunt ideas for adults, plus tips on how to organize your hunt and make it unforgettable.

a st patrick's day dance

How to Plan a St. Patrick’s Day Scavenger Hunt

Before diving into the challenges, it helps to plan a few details so the event runs smoothly.

1. Create Teams

Split participants into teams of 3–5 people. This encourages collaboration and friendly competition.

2. Choose a Location

Your scavenger hunt can take place almost anywhere:

  • a St. Patrick’s Day party
  • a neighborhood
  • a downtown area
  • a St. Patrick’s Day pub crawl
  • a workplace celebration

3. Set a Time Limit

Most hunts work best when they run 45–90 minutes.

4. Decide How Teams Score Points

Award points for:

  • completing missions
  • submitting photos
  • solving clues
  • creativity

Using a scavenger hunt app like Goosechase makes it easy to track points and submissions in real time.

15 St. Patrick’s Day Scavenger Hunt Ideas for Adults

Use these Missions as inspiration for your hunt. They work great for parties, team-building events, or pub crawls.

  1. National Kit - Take a photo with somebody wearing a Team Ireland soccer (football) or rugby jersey-bonus points for a Shamrock emblem or gold coin props.
  2. Fancy Socks - Take a photo with somebody wearing festive St. Patrick's Day stockings or lucky charm socks.
  3. Top o’ the morning to you! - Find as many leprechaun hats as possible and take a photo of your team members or strangers wearing them-bonus points for each hat.
  4. Color Me Irish - Paint a team member's face in St. Patrick's Day colors and take a photo. Don't forget shamrocks or clovers!
  5. End of the Rainbow - Take a video of a team member being showered in gold coins; chocolate coins are allowed. Free scavenger hunt clues can help track this treasure hunt.
  6. It's Not Luck - Take a photo with somebody sporting Boston Celtics team apparel.
  7. Hot Potato - Take a photo of your team sharing any spud-based food dish. Bonus points if it's not French fries.
  8. Proper Public House - Take a photo of your team outside an Irish pub. Not the most creative holiday scavenger hunt ideas or themed clues, but it's a good excuse to get to the pub.
  9. Gaelic Attire - Take a photo of a team member or stranger wearing a traditional garment or a Patrick's Day-themed costume.
  10. But are you really? - Take a photo of a team member pretending to kiss a stranger wearing a "Kiss me I'm Irish" shirt.
  11. Tappa, Tappa, Tappa - Take a video of your team performing Riverdance moves; this works best with music.
  12. Irish Literature - Take photos of your team members reading Irish authors at a bookstore or library. As far as St. Patrick's Day scavenger hunt riddles go, we could count this as an educational clue.
  13. Irish Rock Jams - Take a video of your team air-banding a song by U2, Dropkick Murphys, or The Cranberries.
  14. Lucky the Leprechaun - Take a photo of your team with a box of Lucky Charms cereal or chocolate gold coins.
  15. Boyle's Law - Take a video of a team member popping a green balloon as a tribute to Irish Scientist Robert Boyle. See? We can even sneak a little science into a fun St. Patrick's Day scavenger hunt clues for added challenges.

If you're already using Goosechase to run your scavenger hunt, you can click the button below to add these Missions to your account. Still planning your scavenger hunts on paper using printable scavenger hunts or free printable scavenger hunt lists? Ditch the paper! Look at our How It Works page to see how easy it is to get started on Goosechase!

Looking for more ideas? We've got you covered:

St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl Scavenger Hunt Ideas

If you’re organizing a St. Patrick’s Day pub crawl scavenger hunt, add Missions that involve visiting multiple locations.

Ron Swanson dancing on st patrick's day

Examples:

  • Take a photo with a bartender wearing green
  • Find a drink named after Ireland
  • Order the most festive green drink
  • Capture a photo of the busiest St. Patrick’s Day bar
  • Ask a stranger for their best Irish blessing

These Missions help keep teams moving while adding plenty of opportunities for fun photos.

💡
Check out our other scavenger hunt mission ideas at the Goosechase Experience Library

Tips for Running a Successful Scavenger Hunt

To make your event memorable, keep these tips in mind.

Encourage Creativity

The best scavenger hunt submissions are often the funniest or most creative.

Mix Photo and Video Missions

Variety keeps participants engaged.

Offer Fun Prizes

Popular prizes include:

  • gift cards
  • themed merchandise
  • bragging rights
  • team trophies

Use a Live Leaderboard

A leaderboard keeps teams motivated and adds excitement throughout the event.

Run Your St. Patrick’s Day Scavenger Hunt with Goosechase

Planning and managing a scavenger hunt is easy with Goosechase.

With Goosechase you can:

  • create Missions in minutes
  • track points automatically
  • receive photo and video submissions
  • display a live leaderboard
  • run hunts anywhere

It’s the perfect tool for St. Patrick’s Day parties, team-building events, and pub crawls.


Frequently Asked Questions

How do you organize a St. Patrick’s Day scavenger hunt?

Start by creating teams, choosing a location, and preparing a list of themed challenges. Participants earn points by completing Missions such as photo challenges, trivia questions, and creative tasks.

What are good scavenger hunt clues for adults?

Great scavenger hunt clues include riddles, photo challenges, trivia questions, and creative tasks that encourage teamwork and exploration.

How long should a scavenger hunt last?

Most St Patrick's Day scavenger hunts last between 45 and 90 minutes, depending on the number of Missions and the event location.

Can you run a scavenger hunt during a pub crawl?

Yes! Pub crawls are perfect for scavenger hunts. Teams can complete challenges at different bars, take photos, and collect points along the way.


What is Goosechase?

At Goosechase, experience is everything. Originally inspired by scavenger hunts, Goosechase is an online platform that enables organizations and schools to engage, activate, and educate their communities through delightful interactive experiences. Sign up and try creating a free recreational Experience, or check out our Pricing!

Tags

Katie Canton

Head of Brand Experience & Marketing. A creative storyteller who builds experiences that educate, engage, and delight, and believes great marketing adds value at every touchpoint. An avid traveller, puzzle enthusiast, and enthusiastic snowboarder.