What's On
A free four-day St Patrick’s Day festival starts in Piccadilly Gardens today
There will be a number of performances across the weekend, as well as plenty of Guinness and Irish street food
St. Patrick’s Day is upon us and, to celebrate the occasion appropriately, there is a free four-day long festival dedicated to the wonderful Emerald Isle.
The Manchester Irish Weekender kicks off on the boardwalk in Piccadilly Gardens today, and will boast an array of free festivities right through until Sunday, March 20th.
Irish dancers, pipe bands and Irish folk musicians will be taking to the stage at regular intervals throughout the weekend, with musical highlights for today including performances from singer and guitarist Niamh Finan, fiddle player Méabh Kennedy, the award-winning Fianna Phadraig Pipe Band, and singer-guitarist Joe Keegan.
There will also be performances from the Fianna Phádraig Pipe Band, the oldest Irish pipe band in the North West of England.
Manchester’s Finest Group
Manchester’s Finest Group
And it wouldn’t be a St. Patrick’s Day celebration without some traditional Irish tipples, would it? There will be a number of bars on hand throughout the festival, serving all the Paddy’s Day classics from Guinness, Jamesons, Irish coffees and hot toddies.
The event will also host street food stalls across the weekend, ideal for those wanting to soak up those many pints of Guinness.
To close the Paddy’s Day celebrations, there will be an Irish Parade on Sunday at 12pm, starting at the Irish World Heritage Centre on Queen’s Road in Cheetham Hill and following a route down Cheetham Hill Road as far as the AO Arena before turning round and following the same route back.
Councillor Pat Karney, city centre lead for Manchester City Council, said: “We all know that if you can’t be in the Emerald Isle itself then Manchester is the next best place to celebrate St Patrick’s Day.
Manchester’s Finest Group
Manchester’s Finest Group
“We also know that one day alone isn’t nearly long enough to celebrate all that’s great about Ireland and its unique cultural heritage of music and dance, which is why we’ve put together the weekender event to share the love over four days and give everyone a chance to enjoy the craic.
“It’s brilliant to see so many people already coming back into the city centre to enjoy what it has to offer, and the Manchester Irish Weekender gives another good reason to come into town. It’s going to be fantastic, so find a shamrock, wear something green, and come on down!”
The event has been funded through the European Regional Development Fund and their Welcome Back Fund which has provided councils across the country with a share of £56 million to support the safe return to high streets.
For more information on what’s going on during the Manchester Irish Weekender, click here.