Ireland’s national day is celebrated all over the world every year by the Irish, their friends and anyone with any connection whatsoever to Ireland. But the biggest celebrations are always right here in Dublin. This year, the 2018 St Patrick’s Festival will be a five-day event, filled with theatre, music, dance, food, entertainment and just great fun.
Here’s our pick of the best things to do in Dublin from March 15th to the 19th:
Thursday March 15th
- Greening of Dublin as the sun goes down, the green lights will come on all over the city, turning buildings, venues and spaces green for the five days of the festival
- “Where We Live” is a kaleidoscope of stories about what it feels like to live in Dublin and Ireland today, told by some of the best storytellers on the island through a series of short shows around the city all festival long
Friday March 16th
- Puccini’s Tosca will add to your week of culture with a joint Russian/Irish production of this operatic masterpiece of love, lust, intrigue and murder, featuring Irish star soprano Celine Byrne and the fabulous Irish National Symphony Orchestra
Saturday March 17th
- The parade starts at 11am from Parnell Square, Dublin 1
- Participants include Ireland’s finest street-theatre companies and performers plus bands and performers from all over the world
- The parade finishes on Aungier Street which is just around the corner from the hotel
- The Ireland rugby team play England (in London) in the Six Nations Rugby Championship so get yourself into a pub before kick-off at 2.45pm
Saturday March 18th
- The annual St. Patrick’s Festival 5K Road Race starts from St Stephen’s Green at 12 noon, if you’re feeling energetic. If not, you can simply watch them file by
- Funfairs on the 17th, 18th and 19th in Merrion Square there’ll be waltzers, carousels and all of the old-fashioned funfair rides and thrills the whole family will love
- The Festival Big Day Out is a vibrant, colourful, noisy street carnival with street theatre, music, aerial performances, workshops, crafts, etc in Merrion Square
Monday March 19th
- The Unmanageable Sisters at the Abbey Theatre is a unique Irish play in a historic venue
Of course, there are TONS of other things to see, do, hear, taste and experience all over Dublin on St Patrick’s Day and throughout the festival. It’s the busiest time of the year for the entire city with hundreds of thousands of revellers and visitors on the streets.