Nestled between high-rolling holidays like St. Valentine’s Day and Easter, St. Patrick’s Day is better known for the wearing of the green than its ability to stimulate spending of the green. Americans are expected to shell out $4 billion this year on St. Paddy’s day celebrations, compared with $15 billion for Valentine’s Day and an estimated $13 billion for Easter this year, according to the National Retail Federation. Still, $ 4 billion isn’t bad for what is essentially a religious holiday that doesn’t involve gifts. Slightly more than half of all Americans say they are planning to celebrate the patron saint of the Irish this year, the highest level since the NRF started tracking the holiday eight years ago. That should give a nice little boost to bars, restaurants, florists, and tchotchke vendors nationwide. Here are the numbers:
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