Edinburgh St Patrick’s Day: Sea of Guinness hats as hundreds queue in the Cowgate for Three Sisters event

Some turned up as early as 5.30am

Hundreds of people queued in Edinburgh’s Cowgate this morning ahead of St Patrick’s Day celebrations. 

The Three Sisters venue, which is known for its grand Paddy Day celebrations each year, reported that some people queued as early as 5.30am to beat the crowds. Opening at 8.am, queues could be seen for about 50 metres down the street with party goers waiting an hour to gain entry. 

Hundreds were seen queuing for popular Edinburgh venues to celebrate St Patrick's Day

The mass crowds attending the sold out event saw a green sea of Guinness hats and people dressed in shamrock attire with many having their face painted for the occasion. Visitors who arrived before 12pm could collect their free breakfast and ‘Leprechaun Lager’ as part of their booking. Gold wristband holders were required to arrive before 10am to avoid joining the general queue.

Around the corner at Dropkick Murphys, one group even camped outside the nightclub overnight to make sure they were guaranteed entry to the Irish bar. The pub manager was shocked to discover the group had set up camp the previous evening ahead of the big day. He said: "I'd have let them kip at the house if I had known that they were that keen.”