St. Patrick’s Festival. From March 12th – 17th

The whole world is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day! And Dublin is the stage for the biggest and best St. Patrick’s celebrations in the world, the St. Patrick’s Festival. From March 12th – 17th thousands of Irish people and visitors alike will paint the town green for six fantastic, fun-filled days.

Book your stay in Isaasc Hostel or Jacons Inn and be in centre of all the action.
Both hostels are in the heart of the city no more than 10-20 mins walk from all the attractions listed below

St. Patrick’s Festival is virtually bursting at the seams with street theatre, Irish music, dance, street spectacles, comedy, film, a treasure hunt, Irish language events, family fun and of course the best St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the world.

An annual favourite, the Parade features highly original and inventive street theatre troupes, artists, giant puppetry, dancers and marching bands from Ireland and across the globe. With something for all tastes and ages and most of the events free of charge, everyone is encouraged to come along, join in and show why they’re proud to be Irish!

Full Programme Listings

Comedy

-Comedy @ The Festival

Date: Friday 12th March and Saturday 13th March
Where: The Laughter Lounge, Eden Quay, Dublin 1
Time: Doors 7pm, Show 8.30pm
Tickets: €25, boxoffice@laughterlounge.com / groups@laughterlounge.com

Join us for Comedy @ the Festival where we have a feast of comedians from the renowned Father Ted Show! Featuring Joe ‘Father Damo’ Rooney, Patrick ‘Eoin McLove’ McDonnell and Kevin ‘Father Cave’ Gildea. Nights will be themed with venue and staff in fancy dress and rinks like Mrs Doyle’s Craggy Island iced tea. Ah, ya will will ya will!

Family

-St. Patrick’s Festival Treasure Hunt, Dublin City Centre

Date: Saturday 13th March
Venue: Registration at City Hall, Dame Street
Time: Registration 10.00am – 1.00pm
Free
In Association with Q102

The St. Patrick’s Festival Treasure Hunt is a fun-filled free event for all ages, providing a unique opportunity for all the family to explore or rediscover and enjoy the city of Dublin.

Solve the clues, compete for spot prizes, complete the route and become the cleverest, fastest or best dressed team. Bonus questions along the route provided by the Irish Architecture Foundation. Crack the clues and conundrums that lie concealed in the coolest cultural venues throughout the capital. A really unique way to get to know Ireland’s capital city!

You can pre-register on http://www.stpatricksfestival.ie and beat the queues on the day.

-Big Day Out; A Festival within A Festival

Date: Sunday 14th March
Venue: Merrion Square, Dublin
Time: 12 noon – 6pm
In association with FM104
Free

A festival within a festival, featuring the cream of street theatre, performance and music in the heart of Georgian Dublin. With acts from Ireland and around the world, Big Day Out is a must for visitors and families alike! Merrion Square will become an oversized playground for both children and adults for the 2010 Big Day Out. With quirky activities in the park and on the streets, we guarantee a fun-filled day for all the family.

-St. Patrick’s Festival Parade, City Centre

Date: Wednesday 17th March
Venue: Starting from Parnell Square, Dublin 1
Time: 12 noon
Free Event

With the Parade theme in 2010 being ‘Extraordinary World’, the much anticipated annual favourite, the festival Parade features newly commissioned, highly original and inventive street theatre troupes, artists, giant puppetry, dancers and marching bands from Ireland and across the globe. Thousands are anticipated to be cheering on the city streets and many millions more tuning in to the RTE 1 broadcast on TV and live streaming on-line.

-City at Play Funfairs

Date: Friday 12th – Wednesday 17th March
Venue: Merrion Square & All around the City, Dublin
Tickets Varied

Make Dublin yours this St. Patrick’s Festival and enjoy the City at Play with Chills, Thrills and Near-Spills. A firm Festival favourite the spine-tingling Festival Funfair will lighten up both north and south side of the river Liffey alike with top-notch carnival fairgrounds, gripping high-flying attractions as well as the much-tamer kiddie rides. And don’t miss the breath-taking views of our Fair City from the 150-foot high Jubilee Wheel.

Music

-St. Patrick’s Festival Céilí

Date: Tuesday 16th March
Venue: St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin
Time: 4pm-7pm
Free

You can immerse yourself in Irish culture and craic throughout the Festival but for the more adventurous, dance in the streets at the Festival Céilí – a contemporary outdoor celebration of traditional Irish dance. Taking place on 16th March, St. Patrick’s Eve, it will be an outdoor celebration of all things Irish and open to all – even those with two left feet!

So get out your clogs, wellies or stilettos and join in Ireland leading musicians and dancers in setting the street hopping.

-A Celebration of Irish Voices, curated by Dónal Lunny

Date: Wednesday 17th March
Venue: National Concert Hall, Dublin
Time: 8pm
Admission: From €18-€35
Tickets http://www.nch.ie Tel: 01 417 0000
Supported by the Arts Council, Traditional Arts and in association with Raidió na Life and

To mark the evening of St. Patrick’s Day, renowned Irish trad folk musician Dónal Lunny will curate and participate in A Celebration of Irish Voices. The evening will feature two of the most important choirs in the country Cór Cúl Aodh and Cór Taobh A’ Leithéid along with performances by Róisín Elsafty and Eithne Ní Chatháin.
Expect a colourful and uplifting Irish traditional music experience and an unforgettable night of music and song.

-Kila

Date: Wednesday 17th March
Venue: The Olympia, Dublin
Time: 8pm
Tickets http://www.ticketmaster.ie

Another musical festival finale - Kíla are one of Ireland's most innovative and exciting bands. The seven members come from different musical backgrounds and share a passion to create great music with an ability to absorb influences from across the globe. With its roots in traditional Irish, it features a strong percussive like singing and gorgeous melodies driven by a serious rhythmical undercurrent.

Culture & Craic

-Voices: An Evening of Big Ideas – What has Ireland done for the world?

Date:Tuesday 16th March
Venue: Tripod, Dublin
Time: 6.30pm
In association with The Dubliner Magazine
Free Event

On the eve of St. Patrick’s Day, The Dubliner magazine and St. Patrick’s Festival invite you to a lively discussion as a panel of outspoken Irish personalities present reasons the world has cause to salute the Irish on 17th March.

In a unique free event you will take part in an entertaining examination of the people, achievements, innovations and historical turning points that came from this island. Expect forthright opinions as leading commentators challenge the traditional view of Ireland, demolish and rebuild reputations and invite heckles from the audience.

A limited amount of free tickets will be available for this unique gathering by registering on The Dubliner magazine's website at http://www.thedubliner.ie

-GaelSpraoi

Date: Ongoing throughout the Festival
Venue: City centre locations, Dublin
In Association with Foras Na Gaeilge & Spin103.8
Admission: Varied

Scoth na siamsaíochta! Féile lán de scléip is spraoi, neart imeachtaí saor in aisce do ghach aois ghrúpa, toighis agus cumas teanga. Cabaret Craiceáilte, Puball Gaeilge, craic agus siamsaíocht, ar fud na cathrach. Bain sult as an teanga agus an fhéile!
Gaelspraoi, St Patrick’s Festival’s Irish language celebration, an explosion of Irish-language events and entertainment, with lots of free events for all ages.

Visual Arts

-Shop If You Can, Look If You Want – Art Trail

Date: Friday 12th – Wednesday 17th March
Venue: Various Locations, Temple Bar
Times varied
In association with Temple Bar Cultural Trust
Free Event

Dublin’s Cultural Quarter Temple Bar will play host to an inspiring visual art trail “Shop If You Can Look If You Want”.

This exhibition will showcase some of the existing public art, spaces and places in the Temple Bar area, and also platform 5 innovative Irish artists and their work. Curated in conjunction with The Temple Bar Cultural Trust this event is an opportunity for visitors and Dubliners alike to experience some of our finest urban artists as part of the Festival celebrations.

Film

-Film @ The Festival

Visit the St. Patrick’s Festival website for further information on our diverse 2010 Film @ The Festival programme which includes an exclusive preview of the new John Carney (ONCE) film ZONAD (http://www.zonad.ie) on Saturday 13th which goes on general release on March 17th. We also have the firm family favourite FLIGHT OF THE DOVES (1971) as part of the Family programme at the IFI on Sunday 14th and an insightful look at stories from the markets area of Dublin in the documentary BANANAS ON THE BREADBOARD at The Lighthouse.

Walks & Talks

There are plenty of interesting walks and talks through-out the festival including; the Architectural Tour of Dublin, in association with the Irish Architectural Foundation and In the Footsteps of St. Patrick.

For More Information: http://www.stpatricksfestival.ie