C.B. Hannegan's Prepares for Large Leprechaun Party

More than 2,000 revelers are expected to descend upon small Bachman Avenue in downtown Los Gatos early Thursday for St. Patrick's Day celebrations.

"At any given time, there will be about 1,000 people here during the day ... it's the highlight of our year," said Dave "Maz" Masamori, C.B. Hannegan's restaurant manager, as he got ready for the climax of the festivities, which officially began Wednesday at the Irish-American Pub.

A large tent will be placed outside the restaurant at 208 Bachman Ave. to accommodate those who buy the $50 ticket to join the party, which started 10 days before March 17, said C.B. Hannegan's co-owner Johnny Hannegan.

Bachman Avenue will be closed starting at North Santa Cruz Avenue beginning at 11:30 a.m. Thursday until 1:30 a.m. Friday. The event will feature six different music bands, international bag pipers, Irish dancers and culinary delights such as the traditional corned beef and cabbage and shepherd’s pie, ribs, chicken, roasted pig and Big Bill Callahan's Oyster Bar. "It's going to be a lot of fun," Hannegan said.

There will also be lots of alcohol drinking with shot and beer bars, but the bash will be gated off to the general public and supervised by security guards. "It's like a big neighborhood block party, and everybody knows everybody," Masamori said. "It's really fun from start to stop ... people who don't live in Los Gatos still come back for it every year."

As of Monday evening, the restaurant was still selling tickets, but the event sells out every year. "It's a celebration of the leprechauns of the world and the traditions of the Irish folk, which are near and dear to us," said C.B. Hannegan's co-owner Chris Benson.

Last week, the Lord Mayor of Dublin Gerry Breen visited the pub along with other Irish delegates invited to town by Hannegan, who serves on the San Jose-Dublin Sister City Program.