It’s almost time for the event that calls itself “the best St. Patrick’s Day party of your life.” Swarmm Events’ 13th annual Shamrock Shuffle in Milwaukee will be held from noon to 6 p.m. March 5.
“It’s a good feeling to be back — and at the normal time,” said Michael Sampson, owner of Swarmm.
If it feels like the last shuffle wasn’t all that long ago, that’s because it wasn’t.
While it’s typically held in March before St. Patrick’s Day, last year’s was put on in September “in hopes that more people will be vaccinated and the city of Milwaukee will be open for business,” Sampson told the Journal Sentinel ahead of the 2021 event.
The 2022 event will spread across four Milwaukee entertainment areas: The Old World Third Street Entertainment District on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Walker’s Point, Brady Street and Water Street. Tickets for both Brady and Water streets have already sold out.
Out of the 8,000 tickets this year’s shuffle started out with, about 500 were still available as of Sunday afternoon, according to Sampson.
“To be able to give the bars and restaurants some cash coming out of the winter, and it’s good for my business as well just to kind of see things getting back to normal,” he said.
What to know about the 2022 Shamrock Shuffle
Attendees buy passes for one entertainment district.
Tickets cost $20 and include a T-shirt and a lanyard for food and drink specials at participating venues in their entertainment area.
The annual Irish Jig Jog 4K will not be a part of this year’s event, but Sampson said he hopes to bring it back next year.
Shirt pickup will be held at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino’s Event Center ahead of the shuffle. For people who purchased tickets for MLK Drive or Brady Street, pickup is from 4 to 8 p.m. on March 3. For people who bought Water Street or Walker’s Point tickets, pickup is from 4 to 8 p.m. March 4.
“It’s just a fun kick off to St. Patrick’s Day month,” Sampson said.
The 54th Shamrock Club of Wisconsin St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be held downtown on March 12 after two years off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The official holiday is on March 17.
The shuffle — originally called the Shamrock Stumble Pub Crawl — has donated $101,100 to charity since its inception in 2010, according to Swarmm’s website.
This year’s event will benefit the Hunger Task Force, MKE Black, Ignite the Spirit and Special Olympics Wisconsin, according to Sampson, who recently ran for Milwaukee mayor.
Swarmm also operates Milwaukee Oktoberfest and 12 Bars of Christmas. It was announced in January that it sold four of its food fests — Donut & Coffee Fest, Milwaukee Taco Fest, Milwaukee Wing Fest and Milwaukee BBQ Fest — to OnMilwaukee.com, LLC.
For more information on the shuffle or to purchase tickets, visit swarmmevents.com/shamrock-shuffle.html.
Contact Hannah Kirby at hannah.kirby@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HannahHopeKirby.
