Butte’s biggest annual event is St. Patrick’s Day, when uptown is decked out with shamrocks and a big parade turns the streets into a sea of green. The parade route then heads pretty much straight through the bar doors or into any of the many restaurants serving special corned beef and cabbage.

The Fourth of July is celebrated in a similarly heady fashion, and there’s always a good fireworks display.

Prepare for Evel Knievel Days (www.knieveldays.com, end of July) by learning all the verses to Born to be Wild. Expect crowds; motorcycle not required.

Another recent addition to the festival calendar is An Rí Rá (www.mgcsonline.org), a, Irish cultural festival that focuses more on music, dancing, and language than on drinking, held the second weekend of August.

Butte was chosen to host the National Folk Festival in 2008, 2009, and 2010. This mid-July festival includes music, dance, and storytelling performances and a variety of workshops celebrating the cultural roots of the United States.