It’s back! The highly anticipated St Patrick’s Day festival will be taking place from March 16-20 this year and we couldn’t be more excited about it! Along with there being an amazing lineup, there’s also a great selection of free events to look forward to.

The theme for this years event is ‘Connections/Naisc’ as we join together to celebrate Irish culture, arts and heritage for the first time in two years. Organisers are even introducing a new area for celebrations with the introduction of the Festival Quarter at Collins Barracks, the National Museum of Ireland. It has been described as the “home to a magical day-to-night urban festival for all.” Sounds fantastic, right?

So what free events should you be excited about? Let’s find out!

Máthair: Wednesday 16 March at 7PM

 

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On the eve of St. Patrick’s Day, the awesome Mother DJ’s will take over the Spiegeltent Mór bringing Queer Clubbing to the Festival Quarter.

They’ll be joined by a selection of the best creatives and queer performers, including Anziety, Pixie Woo, Shaqira Knightly and Viola Gayvis for a magical queer dancefloor event.

All you need to do is turn up at the National Museum on the night and be ready to have a ball!

Lyra, Soulé and Bobbi Arlo: Wednesday 16 March at 7PM

This Festival Quarter event will be taking place on the mainstage where Cork born Lyra will be performing following her triumphant self-released debut EP W.I.L.D. Performing alongside her is one of Ireland’s freshest young voices, Soulé (who recently landed an impressive 10 million Spotify streams). 

“A ferocious talent with a sassy attitude to match,” Bobbi Arlo will also be taking to the stage as one of Ireland’s most exciting and in-demand new acts. 

With a lineup as impressive as this one, it is bound to be a night of fun!

Dublin Pride Event at St Patrick’s Day Parade: Thursday 17 March at 2PM

Why be in only 1 parade when you can be in 2?

We're itching to get back on the streets & couldn't wait till June, so we'll be one of the main pageants @stpatricksfest! A huge thanks to our pals at Paddy's Day for making this happen ☘️?https://t.co/uAlIWlMAtS pic.twitter.com/KIGRkn7iOC

— Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride (@DublinPride) February 7, 2022

Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride will be one of the fabulous groups adding their colour to this year’s Parade. They spoke with us last month about the exciting news, sharing, “After two years without a parade, we couldn’t wait till June to come back!”

The Pride team will host the “inclusion pageant company”  which will feature three key parts: 81 performers carrying placards that read “Hope” in different languages while making up a Pride flag; a section dedicated to community and sustainability featuring the Rainbow Twirlers dance troupe; and a final portion representing “Joy” with a disco float replete with DJ, glitter ball dome, drag queens and performers.

This will be a beautiful display of LGBTQ+ celebrations ahead of the Pride parade this June!

High Country Cloggers: Thursday 17 March at 2PM

 

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Now here’s one for all ages, so you can bring your family along for some traditional folk music and dancing!

Based in Boone, North Carolina, The High Country Cloggers are bringing their act to Ireland! Led by Vanessa Minton and Amber Hendley, they are passionate and love to share their enthusiasm for dancing.

Packed with double taps on both heels and toes, this is another of the free events you won’t want to miss! 

Jiggy, The Bonny Men and Shandrum Ceilí Band: Thursday 17 March at 7PM

For this marvellous celebration of Irish music, one act was not enough, so how about three?

The Shandrum Ceilí Band will be taking to the stage at 7PM followed by The Bonny Men at 8PM and concluding with Jiggy at 9PM. This is a wonderful opportunity to get into the festival spirit. 

Damian Clark, Neil Delamere, Julie Jay, Grace Mulvey: Thursday 17 March at 7PM

After you’ve danced to your heart’s content, why not take a break and visit The Craic House for a giggle?

Described as an event that will encourage you to “shake off the lockdown blues and laugh so hard your face hurts” this is a comedy night that shouldn’t be missed! 

New York, The Cranberries and the band America Loved: Friday 18 March at 3:15PM

Musician Noel Hogan will appear in conversation with journalist Stuart Clark to speak about his beloved Irish band, The Cranberries.

Noel served as co-founder and main composer with the group and is known for being directly responsible for creating the band’s distinct sound. Stuart is the deputy editor of Hot Press magazine and is a regular contributor to Matt Cooper’s The Last Word on Today FM. This is sure to be a blast from the past and a huge celebration of one of the nation’s most iconic bands. 

Those are just a handful of the free events that will be taking place this year, so be sure to check out the official website for more information and keep an eye on the Festival’s Instagram account for updates.