World famous landmarks join St Patrick's celebrations

Tourism Ireland's annual '˜global greening' St Patrick's Day initiative will this year see 290 major international landmarks take on an unfamiliar hue.
Selfies at the greened Leaning Tower of Pisa, as part of Tourism Irelands annual Global Greening initiative.Selfies at the greened Leaning Tower of Pisa, as part of Tourism Irelands annual Global Greening initiative.
Selfies at the greened Leaning Tower of Pisa, as part of Tourism Irelands annual Global Greening initiative.

The patron saint is being honoured from Rome to Rio and from London to Las Vegas, as host of buildings and sites around the world turn green to celebrate St Patrick’s Day.

New sites taking part in 2018 include the Luxur Obélisque at the centre of the Place de la Concorde in Paris, the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge in New York, Tower 42 (the third-tallest skyscraper in the City of London), a giant Blue Whale skeleton in the Natural History Museum in London, the Emirates Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, the Nimb Hotel in Copenhagen, the San Mamés stadium in Bilbao, The Venetian hotel in Las Vegas, the Lille Gate in Ypres in Belgium (one of several entrances into the old fortified city), the Lapland Hotels SnowVillage in Finland, and Zhongyuan Tower (a 388-metre tall steel tower in Zhengzhou, in Henan province, in China).

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The newcomers are joined by some ‘old favourites’ which have gone green in previous years – including the Sydney Opera House, the London Eye, the Colosseum, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Great Wall of China, Niagara Falls, the TV Tower in Tbilisi, Navy Pier in Chicago and the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.

The Tourism Ireland initiative has gone from strength to strength – from its beginning in 2010, with just the Sydney Opera House and the Sky Tower in Auckland going green, to this year, with around 290 sites in 48 countries taking part.

Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said: “This is the ninth year of Tourism Ireland’s Global Greening initiative and it’s bigger and better than ever this year, with some wonderful new additions like the Luxur Obélisque in Paris, the San Mamés stadium in Bilbao, Tower 42 in London and the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge in New York.

“St Patrick’s Day traditionally marks the real start of the tourism season for us; our aim is to bring a smile to the faces of people around the world and to convey the message that Ireland offers the warmest of welcomes and great fun, as well as wonderful scenery and heritage.”

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Mr Gibbons added: “Our St Patrick’s programme spans mainland Europe, North America, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand, as well as emerging tourism markets like China and the Middle East. We are using every opportunity to capitalise on Ireland’s heightened profile this week; the saturation coverage about the island of Ireland across the global airwaves, in newspapers and digital media, is an invaluable boost for our overall 2018 tourism promotional drive.”

• The full list of landmarks involved in the global greening initiative 2018

Note: first time ‘greenings’ marked *

Great Britain

Blue Whale skeleton in the Natural History Museum, London *

Tower 42, London *

London Eye

· Heron Tower, London

Nelson’s Column, London

· Selfridges, London

· Selfridges, Birmingham

· Trafalgar Square fountains, London *

· National Football Museum, Manchester *

· Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne

Emirates Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth *

SEC Armadillo, Glasgow

SSE Hydro, Glasgow

North America

United States

· Empire State Building, New York

Mario M. Cuomo Bridge (Tappan Zee Bridge), New York *

· One World Trade Center, New York

Aisling Irish Community Center, New York

Wells Fargo building, Albuquerque

· 360 Residential Condominiums tower, Austin

· City Hall, Cedar Park

· Chicago Board of Trade building

· Civic Opera House, Chicago

Irish American Heritage Center, Chicago

John Hancock Center, Chicago

Novak Construction, Chicago

Navy Pier, Chicago

One Prudential Plaza, Chicago

Soldier Field, Chicago

State Street, Chicago

Wrigley Building, Chicago

Harbor Bridge, Corpus Christi *

· Omni Dallas Hotel, Dallas

· Reunion Tower, Dallas

· City Hall, Denver

· City Hall, Houston

· ‘Welcome’ sign, Las Vegas

· High Roller at The LINQ, Las Vegas

· Keep Memory Alive Event Center (KMAEC), Las Vegas

· MEET, Las Vegas *

· ONE Summerlin, Las Vegas *

· The Palazzo, Las Vegas *

· The Venetian, Las Vegas *

· Mercato della Pescheria (restaurant) at The Venetian, Las Vegas *

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Junction Bridge pedestrian walkway and Main Street bridge, Little Rock

· Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans *

· City Hall, San Francisco

· Coit Tower, San Francisco

Canada

Niagara Falls (on both the Canadian and US sides)

Casa Loma, Toronto

City Hall, Toronto

The Distillery District, Toronto

Calgary Tower, Calgary

Chimo the polar bear, Cochrane *

Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat *

Cochrane sign *

Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa

· Cabot Tower on Signal Hill, St John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador

The Big Nickel, Sudbury

The Wawa Goose *

Mainland Europe

Austria

Burgtheater, Vienna

· Bridges on the Danube Canal, Vienna

Wiener Riesenrad (ferris wheel), Vienna

Bergiselschanze (ski jump), Innsbruck

Belgium

Grand Place, Brussels

Manneken Pis statue, Brussels (“dressed” in Irish costume)

Burg, Bruges

Town Hall, Dinant *

Celtic Cross, Fontenoy

Belfry, Mons

Lille Gate, Ypres *

Croatia

‘Lighting Giants’, Pula

Trsat Castle, Rijeka

Hotel Esplanade, Zagreb *

Museum of Contemporary Arts, Zagreb *

Kula Lotrščak, Zagreb *

New fountains, Zagreb

Cyprus

Municipal Town Hall, Nicosia

Denmark

Nimb Hotel, Copenhagen *

Radisson Collection Royal Hotel, Copenhagen

Estonia

Vabaduse Väljak (Freedom Square), Tallinn *

Finland

Lapland Hotels SnowVillage, Kittilä *

Oulu Theatre and Harbour ice rink *

Lighthouse on the frozen Lake Näsijärvi, Tampere *

Näsinneula (observation tower), Tampere

Tammerkoski Rapids, Tampere *

France

Luxur Obélisque, Place de la Concorde, Paris *

Beaugrenelle (shopping centre), Paris *

· BHV Marais (Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville – department store), Paris

Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris

· Château de la Muette (headquarters of the OECD), Paris

· Drugstore Publicis, Paris

Galeries Lafayette, Paris

· Irish Embassy, Paris

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· Sleeping Beauty castle at Disneyland® Paris

University of Angers – ESTHUA, Angers *

Bordeaux Métropole Arena, Bordeaux *

Hôtel de Ville, Cannes

· La Croisette, Cannes

· Château et tour de la Castre, Cannes

· Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, Cannes

Tapis rouge lumineux (red carpet), Cannes

Collège Anatole France, Châteaudun *

Hôtel de Ville, Athis Mons

Hôtel de Ville, Grandvilliers

Hôtel de Ville, Mellac

Hôtel de Ville, Royan *

· Hôtel de Ville, Saint-Mandé

Palais de l’Europe (seat of the Council of Europe), Strasbourg *

Pont Neuf, Toulouse *

Georgia

TV Tower, Tbilisi

Germany

Funkturm Berlin

· Reichsburg Cochem

· Lighthouse building, Düsseldorf

· Altes Rathaus, Gescher

· McKiernan’s Irish Café, Gescher

‘Fridolin’ the carp statue, Höchstadt an der Aisch

· Rathaus (Town Hall), Limburg

· Allianz Arena, Munich

· BMW Welt, Munich

· Olympic Tower, Munich

· Offene Kirche St. Klara, Nürnberg

· Heidecksburg Castle, Rudolstadt

· Königsbau, Stuttgart *

· Neumünster church, Würzburg

Rathaus (Town Hall), Würzburg

Hungary

Müpa Budapest

Tüskecsarnok (indoor arena), Budapest

Italy

Irish Embassy, Rome *

Colosseum, Rome

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Campanile della Basilca di San Nicolò, Lecco *

Piazza Mercurio, Massa

Il Pozzo di San Patrizio (St Patrick’s Well), Orvieto

Torre del Moro, Orvieto *

Latvia

Riga Town Hall

Luxembourg

Hôtel de Ville, Luxembourg city

The Netherlands

· A’DAM Toren, Amsterdam

· De Mi­ran­da­bad, Amsterdam *

· SkyLounge Amsterdam *

· Splendor Amsterdam

· Uilenburgersjoel Amsterdam *

· DOT, Groningen *

· Euromast, Rotterdam *

· SkyView Scheveningen Pier, The Hague

· Windmill, Weert

Poland

Palace of Culture and Science, Warsaw

Hotel President, Bielsko-Biala

Kosciuszki Street Bridge, Gdańsk

Uczniowska Street Bridge, Gdańsk

City Hall, Kalisz *

Spodek (arena), Katowice

Galeria Echo (shopping centre), Kielce

Kołobrzeg Pier, Kołobrzeg *

Father Bernatek (Kladka Bernatka) footbridge, Kraków

Lipska Street flyover, Kraków

Tauron Arena, Kraków

OFF Piotrkowska (shopping mall), Łódź *

Centre for the Meetings of Cultures, Lublin *

Latin School, Malbork *

Malbork Castle Museum (west wing), Malbork *

Museum of the City of Malbork *

Archaeological Museum, Poznań *

Bishop Jordan Bridge, Poznań *

· City Hall, Poznań

Grand Theatre, Poznań *

MTP Spire, Poznań *

Raczyński Library, Poznań

Brama Przemyska Bridge, Przemyśl *

Casimir Castle, Przemyśl *

City Hall, Przemyśl *

City Hall, Rzeszów

City Hall, Toruń *

· Browar Bojańczyków Cultural Centre, Wloclawek

· Bank Zachodni WBK headquarters, Wroclaw

· Centennial Hall, Wroclaw

· Grunwaldzki Bridge, Wroclaw

· National Museum, Wroclaw *

· Opera House, Wroclaw *

· Stadion Wroclaw

· University Bridge, Wroclaw

· University of Wroclaw *

· Szyb Maciej, Zabrze

City Hall, Zamość *

Portugal

Santuario Nacional de Cristo Rei (Christ the King statue), Lisbon

Museu Condes de Castro Guimarães, Cascais

Serbia

· Ada Bridge (Most na Adi), Belgrade

· Palace Albanija, Belgrade

· Hotel Moskva, Belgrade

· Canadian Embassy, Belgrade

· Glavna Pošta (main post office), Belgrade *

· Hotel Park, Belgrade

· House of the National Assembly of Serbia Narodna Skupstina, Belgrade

Slovak Republic

Radisson Blu Carlton Hotel, Bratislava

New building of the Slovak National Theatre, Bratislava

Slovenia

Ljubljana Castle, Ljubljana

Spain

Cibeles Fountain, Madrid

Puerta de Alcalá, Madrid

Plaza de España, Adeje, Tenerife

Tower of Hércules, A Coruña, Galicia

Fonts Bessones de la Plaça Catalunya, Barcelona

San Mamés stadium, Bilbao *

St Patrick’s Chapel, Llanes

Medieval tower, Llanes

Marbella arches

Edificio Anexo al Ayuntamiento, Murcia

Empresa Municipal de Aguas (EMUASA), Murcia *

Tortosa town *

Sweden

Vasa warship, Stockholm

Switzerland

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The Rhine Falls, near Zurich

Australia and New Zealand

Australia

Sydney Opera House

Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney

State Library of New South Wales, Sydney

Town Hall, Sydney

The Big Kangaroo, Border Village

The Big Banana, Coffs Harbour

Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), Brisbane

Optus Stadium, Perth *

The Bell Tower, Perth

Council House, Perth

Elizabeth Quay, Perth

New Zealand

Sky Tower, Auckland

Auckland Harbour Bridge *

· Auckland War Memorial Museum

· Eden Park, Auckland

Christchurch Airport

· Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington

Emerging Markets

Argentina

Lavalle Street, Buenos Aires *

Luján Cathedral, Buenos Aires *

Obelisk of Buenos Aires *

Brazil

Christ the Redeemer statue, Rio de Janeiro

Brasília Shopping (shopping centre), Brasília

Cathedral of Brasília, Brasília

Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, Brasília

· Torre Digital, Brasília

· Teatro da Paz, Belém *

· Teatro Amazonas, Manaus

Torre da Globo (Globo TV Tower), Recife

· Torre da Globo, São Paulo

Catedral de Pedra, Canela *

Chile

Statue of the Virgin Mary on Cerro San Cristóbal, Santiago

China

Great Wall of China

Chengdu ICON YunDuan, Chengdu *

Canton Tower, Guangzhou

· Ruins of St Paul’s, Macau

· Nanjing CENBEST and Nanjing International Finance Center, Nanjing *

· Nanjing Eye (pedestrian bridge), Nanjing *

218 Building, Qujing, Yunnan *

· Grand Kempinski Hotel, Shanghai

Jiangxin Islet, Zhejiang *

Zhongyuan Tower, Zhengzhou, Henan Province *

Colombia

Torre Colpatria, Bogotá

Ethiopia

Monument to the Lion of Judah, Addis Ababa *

Israel

Sammy Ofer Stadium, Haifa *

Water Tower, Ramat Gan

City Hall, Tel Aviv

Japan

Yokohama Port Opening Memorial Hall, Tokyo *

Ise Ohtorii, Ise City

Yokohama Marine Tower, Naka Ward, Yokohama *

Kenya

Lion statue (made from re-cycled flip flops), Mount Kenya National Park *

Malaysia

Straits Quay lighthouse, Penang

Mexico

· El Ángel de la Independencia, Mexico City

Monumento a Álvaro Obregón, Mexico City

Monumento a la Revolución, Mexico City

· Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico City

Glorieta de los Caballos, Guadalajara *

La Minerva monument, Guadalajara

· Los Arcos, Guadalajara

· Monumento a los Niños Héroes, Guadalajara

· Palacio Municipal, Guadalajara

Parque Lineal Pablo Neruda, Guadalajara *

Paseo Chapultepec, Guadalajara

Rotonda de los Jaliscienses Ilustres, Guadalajara

Unidad Deportivo la Tucson, Guadalajara *

Nigeria

Abuja City Gate, Abuja *

Palestine

The Palestinian Museum, Ramallah *

Paraguay

López Presidential Palace (Palacio de los López), Asunción *

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Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, Asunción *

Russia

Izvestia Hall, Moscow

South Korea

Busan Cinema Center, Busan *

City Hall, Seoul

Uganda

Equator monument, Kayabwe

United Arab Emirates

Yas Viceroy hotel, Abu Dhabi

Burj Al Arab, Dubai

Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, Dubai *

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, Dubai

Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai *

Vietnam

Pen Monument, Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi *

Zambia

Freedom Statue, Lusaka *