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Forget red and white – tomorrow Sunderland will be turning green for St Patrick's Day.
Pub and clubgoers will be ceelbrating the saint's day, which has become one of the biggest party nights of the year.
Paddy Whacks, in Green Terrace, is hoping to beat the Northern record sales for Guinness this year.
Last St Patrick's Day, the Irish venue clocked up 8,000 sales of the black stuff, earning it the title of Best Guinness Pub Award (North England Region.)
Seamus Whelan, entertainments manager for the pub, said: "St Patrick's Day in Sunderland seems to get bigger and bigger each year. People take the day off and the day after to recover.
"I think it's because people like to have a good time in Sunderland and St Patrick's Day is a good excuse to celebrate."
Festivities at the bar will kick off at midday with Irish stew being served, Irish bands from 1pm to 1am, and local bands giving Irish music a shot.
There will also be Irish dancing and traditional dancing with a twist, as Irish troupe Raw Edge Crew perform their hip hop interpretation of Riverdance.
Young Dublin band Bi Polar Empire, who have just recorded an album in Los Angeles, will also play, as will firm favourites The Emerald Thieves, The Dogs of Tralee and the bar's house band.
Meanhile, at Luma, in Derwent Street, there will also be Irish stew, as well as live music from the Acoustic Rogues.
The Emerald Isle celebrations will continue into next week when the Empire plays host to the Essence of Ireland show.
The fast-tapping stars of the show will take to the stage on March 25.
Who'll be out for a hoolie?
Kathryn Laws, 18, from Grangetown, is a sixth form student at St Anthony's, in Sunderland.
She said: "I'll be out for St Patrick's Day. I'm not Irish, but it's a good excuse for a drink.
"My friend's Irish, though, and will be out as well, and I've got a green dress which I'll wear, but I'll not be going as a leprechaun or anything like that."
Boyfriend Jordan Howe, 20, from Ashbrooke, who is a barman at Fusion, said: "It's like another Saturday night. It is a good excuse for a drink and everybody seems to be going out."
Pamela Robinson, 19, from Downhill, who is taking up a job as a hairdresser after an apprenticeship, lived in Belfast between the ages of four and 11.
She said: "We will probably be going out for one or two.
"We'll be going to Paddy Whacks and we'll be playing along with the Irish theme."
Her boyfriend, Blayne McHugh, 20, a bricklayer from Grangetown, added: "It's a good excuse to have a drink. You know St Patrick's and the Irish – it's about alcohol.
"I think there should be more for St George's Day, because I think it's forgotten about."
Andrea Pratt-Glendenning, 29, from Springwell, is a hairdresser at Seaham Hall.
She said: "We can't decide whether we're going out or not."
Husband Gordon, 30, a plasterer, added: "l'll be out if she's out.
"I just know there's going to be loads out and there will be a good atmosphere.
"We always used to go out for St George's Day before and I think that's because where we were at the time, around the Wheatsheaf, was quite patriotic, but we've not done that for a good few years now."
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Weather for Sunderland
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Heavy sleet
Temperature: 1 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Light sleet showers
Temperature: -0 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: South
