Dublin gears up for annual St Patrick’s Festival

Dublin is getting ready to roll out the green carpet for the four-day St Patrick’s Festival running from March 17-20, 2016. This year the festival kicks off with the St Patrick’s Day Parade, a performance along a 2.8-km route through the heart of the city. Music ensembles from around the world will provide the soundtrack for the parade. Leading street theatre companies will present creations and performances inspired by the 2016 theme ‘Imagine If’ which will incorporate the thoughts of the youth of Ireland who have inspired the creations.

Running across all four days of the festival, ‘I Love My City’ culture programme will offer a host of cultural happenings staged in some of Dublin’s most beautiful, historic and prestigious venues. Headline events, featuring established and emerging Irish and international artists, literature, music, film, spoken word, design, visual art and more, will be presented throughout the festival. In addition, citywide venues and spaces will host inspiring events presented by artists and performers.

Festival CГ©ilГ­, the country’s largest outdoor celebration of traditional Irish dancing will be held on March 18. Festival Treasure Hunt, which will be held on March 19, is a free trail through a collection of Dublin’s landmark buildings and venues. It also brings 60s’ singer-songwriter, Donovan, on his 50 Years of Music Tour, which will be a celebratory evening in the National Concert Hall.

Street Theatre will also be a part of the festival feast, making Dublin a stage for nationally and internationally revered acts delivering theatrics and comedy shows.