Irish Festival Seattle Hosts 50th Anniversary of St. Patrick's Day Parade

Seattle Center Festál continues with Irish Festival Seattle, presented as an in-person celebration by the Irish Heritage Club, on March 12th and 13th following last year's virtual event. The free public festival takes place at the Seattle Center Armory and will include vendors with craft goods, an art exhibition, children's activities and traditional Irish food and dance.

This year's festival comes 50 years after the first city-permitted St. Patrick's Day Parade in Seattle on March 11, 1972. Deputy Mayor of Galway Martina O'Connor and Enda Kenny, former Irish Prime Minister are traveling to Seattle to attend the festival as special guests.

The Irish Festival welcomes CAVORT, a Celtic band with spirited songs and instrumentals, to the stage for the first time this year. Carrigaline, a Celtic band that performs with a traditional bagpipe-like instrument, the uilleann pipes, will perform as well. The Pride of Bothell Céili Band rounds out the music lineup with Seattle fiddler Susan Burke to perform lively jigs, reels, slides, and hornpipes. Tara Academy of Irish Dance, a local dance company, will also be performing during the festival.

Booths and vendors include Celtic Crossroads Northwest, Wandering Angus, Into Totes, Apple Cox Designs, Seattle Genealogical Society, Elfstone Celtic Jewelry, Dwiggins Illuminations, Celtic Jewelry with an Ancient Story, Make It Feision, Over the Line Art Seattle, Gently Used Irish Book Sales, Shawn O'Donnell's, and Seattle Gaels with Tacoma Rangers GAA.

The festival also features genealogy and history seminars. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Irish state, an event that will be covered by Caron McMahon whose family was heavily impacted by the fight for Irish independence.

TIME/DATE: 12 - 6 p.m. Saturday, March 12 and Sunday, March 13

Full schedule of events here.

LOCATION: Seattle Center in and outside the Armory.

INTERVIEWS: Onsite interviews with festival organizers John Keane and Caron McMahon are available.

CONTACT: Meghan McLaughlin, meghan.mclaughlin-c@seattle.gov // 206.293.4110

The Monorail will provide free rides to the Armory from Westlake Station following the St. Patrick's Day Parade between 2 and 3 p.m. on Sunday to facilitate those who want to attend the Irish Festival after the parade.