Venetian Grand Canal Green for St. Patrick's Day Celebration

LAS VEGAS, NV - At 10 a.m. this morning Liam the Leprechaun officially kicked off The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration with an inaugural gondola ride leading
Venetian's Grand Canal is green for St. Patrick's Day celebration  a parade of gondoliers adorned in green sashes, scarves, ribbons, and shamrocks.

After one complete ride, Liam stopped the parade in St. Mark’s Square and spun his boat around in circles throwing magical gold confetti into the air officially opening the lucky green canal for riders while musical entertainers and gondoliers sang a traditional Irish song “Tipperary.” The Grand Canal has 184,000 gallons of water and was turned green with 40 quarts of green food coloring.

Liam will return on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day, at 10 a.m. for a second parade on the green canal. Once Liam works his ‘magic,’ he will exit the gondola and retreat through The Grand Canal Shoppes from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Any guest that is lucky enough to find Liam must say to him, “Luck o’ the Irish” and he will reach into his pot of gold and hand over a prize. Guests may receive anything from chocolate gold coins to a free gondola ride on the lucky green Grand Canal. This celebration is open to the public.

Guests over the age of 21, who purchase a gondola ride March 12 – 18, may redeem their ticket stub at the Mercato store inside The Grand Canal Shoppes for a bottle of Guinness.

While the canal is green, in addition to traditional Italian songs, gondoliers will sing Irish tunes such as My Wild Irish Rose, When Irish Eyes are Smiling, and Up Among the Heather and will continue to be dressed with green accents. The cost of a gondola ride is $16 per person (max of 4 people) or $64 for a private, two-passenger ride. Hours of operation are Sunday-Thursday 10:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m. and Friday-Saturday 10:00 a.m.-12 midnight. Tickets may be purchased at Emporio d’Gondola ticket office, located next to Godiva Chocolatier in The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian.