St David’s Day celebrations around the globe

The first day of March marks the feast day of the patron saint of Wales, St David. Though a religious date in origin, the day has morphed into Wales’ de facto national day, where all aspects of Welsh culture are celebrated, from our language to our landmarks. 

Across Wales there will be parties and parades aplenty. Our famed strongholds will host choirs and crafting workshops, there’ll be theatre productions delving into important Welsh stories, and cafes and pubs up and down the country will be plating up divine Cymraeg delicacies like lamb cawl and bara brith.

However, like St David himself, who is believed to have roamed across the UK and Europe, St David’s Day celebrations have travelled far beyond the Welsh borders, spread by expatriates old and new, and kept alive by dynamic Welsh diaspora groups.

As a result, this year you’ll find events to mark 1 March taking place everywhere from Iowa to Osaka. Here’s a selection of some of the St David’s Day events happening around the world in 2026.

The German capital loves a party, and Clwb Berlin Cymraeg will be throwing a big one to celebrate St David’s Day in Berlin. The organisation for Welsh language speakers and learners living in the city will take over Das Gift bar in the trendy Neukölln neighbourhood for a night of Welsh-flavoured revelry. There’ll be Welsh poetry recitals, a quiz, and music from Welsh-speaking German singer, Hendrik Robisch, who once wowed the crowds during an appearance on Welsh language television channel S4C.

Not to be outdone by their German counterparts, the Paris Welsh Society are hosting a dinner at the traditional brasserie Les Petits Carreaux, where entertainment will be provided by Welsh folk artist Gwyneth Glyn. The Edinburgh Welsh Society will also be dining out in celebration of Dewi Sant, with a meal at the Mortonhall Golf Club. This will be paired with a dose of spiritual sustenance in the form of a special church service, featuring Welsh hymns, at the Scottish capital’s Reid Memorial Church.

Why organise a single day of celebrations to mark St David’s Day when you can opt for a whole week? That seems to be the mantra in London, our closest neighbouring capital city, where over 100 events are planned as part of Wales Week. The jam-packed programme of Welsh-themed activities ranges from performances from the London Welsh Male Voice Choir (fresh from their collaboration with singer James Blake) to five-a-side football matches near the London Welsh Centre (where pints are on offer after the game).

America’s links with Wales date back centuries and the country still honours this entwined heritage with an impressive selection of events to mark St David’s Day. The Big Apple leads the way, where the St David's Society of the State of New York are set to toast Dewi Sant’s feast day in style with a dinner at the Salmagundi Club, New York’s oldest art club, in Greenwich Village. Part of the society’s work sees it award scholarships to deserving students, and this year’s St David’s Day event will feature music from a recent recipient, plus a small exhibition of items telling the story of the group’s history, which stretches back to 1801.

An evening of feasting is also on offer in Illinois, where The Chicago Tafia Welsh Society are holding a party for 70 people. The diaspora organisation, which has worked to have some of Chicago's most famous monuments illuminated in the colours of the Welsh flag to mark St David’s Day in recent years, will be treating guests to Welsh delicacies, including Welsh cheeses, Welsh cakes and sausage rolls (what more could you ask for?). Similar delights will no doubt be gracing the menu down in Pennsylvania, where The Welsh Society of Philadelphia, the oldest Welsh society in the US, are organising the 298th(!) edition of their annual St David’s Day Banquet.

But it isn’t just major metropolises where you’ll find Americans with Welsh connections gathering on 1 March. The city of Columbus Junction, in Iowa, marks St David’s Day with an annual parade along the city’s Main Street, complete with local families carrying flags to signify their Welsh links. Back towards the east coast, East Windsor, a town in Connecticut, is pulling out all the stops in celebration of Dewi Sant this year, with a full day of activities organised by The Welsh Society of Western New England, featuring clog dancing shows, live Celtic music and – perhaps the greatest of all Saint David’s Day traditions – a leek eating contest.

Though it may be some 6000 miles (9,600km) from Wales, Tokyo will feel very close to home for Welsh expats in Japan on 1 March, as the long-running St David’s Society Japan puts on its annual St David’s fiesta. Hosted in one of Tokyo’s central bars, the festivities will feature poetry readings, Penderyn Whisky and a proper lamb dinner. Meanwhile, in the city of Osaka, the Kansai St David’s Society have chosen to mix up the usual St David’s Day event recipe, hosting an afternoon of Welsh cake making for members and their guests.

The award for the fanciest-sounding St David’s Day event has to be shared by the cities of Singapore and Hong Kong. In the first, the St David's Welsh Society Singapore are set to host a drinks reception at the clubhouse of the city’s storied cricket club, which has been part of Singapore’s social scene since 1852. The St. David's Society of Hong Kong are going one step further, throwing a St David’s day ‘ball’, offering fun, fine dining, and fascinating anecdotes from the evening's guests speaker, Welsh extreme athlete Richard Parks (fresh from his recent visit to Antarctica with actor Will Smith!).

Part of the joy of St David’s Day celebrations outside of Wales is the way diaspora groups put their own spin on proceedings, and this is no truer than in Kuala Lumpur, where the St David's Society of Malaysia celebrate 1 March with a visit to Selangor Turf Club for a day at the races – after all, there’s nothing wrong with a little horsing around on St David’s Day.

Learn more about little pockets of Welshness around the globe, or discover more St David’s Day events happening within Wales.