Live music, dance performances, good food, activities to entertain the children and a parade, amid a sea of green.

St Patrick's Day is easily recognisable wherever it is observed - and it was the same in Singapore at the weekend as the Irish community and their friends here celebrated the occasion at UOB Plaza (above) and along Circular Road.

Festival-goers enjoyed live traditional Irish and rock-and-roll music from bands such as Gan Ainm and The Blackberries.

There were also Irish dance performances and activities such as face-painting, balloon sculpting and air-brush tattooing. A parade marched from Empress Lawn to UOB Plaza on Sunday.

For the first time, various bars and restaurants in the area created drinks and dishes that take on a green twist, said St Patrick's Day Singapore's Facebook page.

Some twists on local favourites included St Paddy's Spaghetti Rebus from VegCafe - pasta with a pumpkin-based gravy and blended avocado "topping".

St Patrick's Day honours one of the patron saints of Ireland and is celebrated annually on March 17.

The day is a national holiday in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, as well as the island of Montserrat in the Caribbean.