St. Patrick’s Festival 2022: Programme
Live on the streets of Dublin. Virtually on the screens of the World.
THE NATIONAL ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE, DUBLIN, 2022
The highly anticipated return of the spectacular national St. Patrick’s Day Parade will take place on Thursday March 17th, winding its way through the streets of Dublin, from Parnell Square to St. Stephen’s Green, after a two-year absence, delighting the hundreds and thousands who will gather. Over the last six months, hundreds of Irelands most dynamic and innovative performers, musicians, designers, choreographers, pageant engineers, artists and makers have been working on delivering Ireland’s most ambitious street Parade ever, in creativity, scale, length and participant numbers. The Parade will be broadcast live on RTÉ, produced by Coco Content for RTÉ, and promises an exciting new look and feel for millions of viewers in Ireland and across the world.
The 2022 Parade will be a fresh, ambitious, bold new vision for both makers and audiences alike, with new pageant participants and bigger creative builds, featuring audience interaction and breath taking new artistic elements, and a battalion of world-class marching bands. Pageant themes and participants include INSPIRE + CONNECT by renowned Irish street artist ACHES, supported by Kia Ireland; SPORTS by Bui Bolg, Wexford; ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT by Spraoi, Waterford; ACCEPTANCE & LOVE by Artastic & St. Patrick’s Festival Community Arts, Kildare & Dublin; INCLUSION by Pride Parade & Festival, Dublin; WATERWAYS, NATURE & BIODIVERSITY ON THE LIFFEY by St. Patrick’s Festival, Dublin, supported by Waterways Ireland; HEROES by Catapult Events, led by young Corkman Adam King and supported by An Post; TRADITIONS OF THE SEA by Inishowen Carnival, Donegal, supported by Irish Ferries and YOUTH & RESILIENCE by Cork Puppetry Theatre, Cork.
Further details of the Parade and all the pageant groups and participants will be announced nearer to March 17th. A few remaining Parade Grandstand Seats can be purchased here. Grand Marshals for Parade 2022 will be announced in March!
FESTIVAL QUARTER AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF IRELAND, COLLINS BARRACKS
In an exciting new partnership with the National Museum of Ireland, St. Patrick’s Festival will take up residence at the Museum of Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks in Dublin 7. The grounds of the stunning, historic heritage site will be transformed into a magical day-to-night urban Festival for all, in the heart of Dublin, featuring Spiegeltent Mór and Spiegeltent Beag, a 3,000-capacity outdoor Main Stage, Craic Comedy Tent, Story Yurt, performance spaces, relaxation areas and a dedicated Irish Food and Craft Village. Just a short walk from the city centre, easily accessible by Luas and bus, and adjacent to Heuston Station, Festival Quarter will be a bustling hub for locals and visitors alike, from March 16th to 20th. On Saturday March 19th, from daytime through nighttime, Festival Quarter is brought to you by Dublin Airport.
All daytime events will be free of charge, while some nighttime events will require a pre-purchased ticket. Festival Quarter will be open to all ages throughout the day and will be reserved for adults only from 6pm to close. Tickets will only be required for a limited number of paid evening events on March 18th and 19th. All other events, day, and night, will be offered for free on a first come, first served basis. To be the first to hear all the news and purchase tickets this Friday February 11 at 9am, join the Festival mailing list on the website and follow St. Patrick’s Festival on all social media channels.
Festival Quarter Days at the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks
Thursday 17th - Sunday 20th March, 12pm-6pm (All ages)
Family fun and community spirit are integral to St. Patrick’s Festival. Enjoy four days of family friendly adventures, from performance, theatre, and giant games to Céilí Mór, music and play, from March 17th to March 20th. Immerse in talks, film screenings, interactive games, circus, and science shows. Get lost in the imaginary world of the Story Yurt, a collaboration with O’Briens Press, featuring great Irish authors reading from their books and fun illustration workshops. Enjoy the thrills and spills of circus, games and street theatre performances including Friends of Crusoe, Actual Reality Arcade, Curious State, Fanzini Brothers, Little Gem Puppets, Tumble Circus and Strong Women Science Circus Show. Get into the true St. Patrick’s Day spirit with the return of the much-loved Céilí Mór on the Main Stage on March 17th, with the Shandrum Ceili Band, Jiggy, The Bonnymen, and many more incredible traditional Irish artists, musicians, performers and dancers throughout the day. Join the conversation with a selection of always engaging and often challenging talks and panels from the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks; The Indo Daily Podcast - a conversation with some of the Irish Independent’s top sports’ writers, taking the audience beyond the headlines and to the heart of the action; an FAI Centenary Panelshowcasing the story of Irish football, Totally Dublin 200th Edition Talks, I.NY Festival, Donal Dineen, and many more. Live performances to enjoy during Festival Quarter Days will include Grooveline, the BLOC Hip Hop Party featuring Selló, Curiosity MG, Yomi Attention, Blaq Appollo andThe Clan Worldwide; Music Generation’s 52-piece Harp Orchestra; Code of Behaviour, Ush Mush and many more. Abair, an international traditional arts project, made possible through the support of The Arts Council of Ireland, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government, and the Spanish Embassy in Dublin, will feature conversation and song with The Mary Wallopers, Spanish performer Juan Pinilla, Chris Miles, Welsh folk musician Gwilym Bowen Rhys, Grace Toland, Joe Mulhern and many more to be announced.
Festival Quarter Nights at the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks
Wednesday 16th - Saturday 19th March, 6pm – 10.30pm daily (Strictly Over 18s)
When the sun goes down, from 6pm daily, Festival Quarter Nights will explode into life with stunning lighting displays and decor, a bustling food village, bars, and hangout areas just for adults. Enjoy the very best of Irish contemporary and traditional music, performance, comedy, cabaret, theatre, literature, discourse, and dance. On opening night, Wednesday, the eve of St. Patrick’s Day, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist LYRA will be joined on the Main Stage by special guest electronic pop queen Soulé and many more. The undisputed queens of the Dublin dancefloor Mother DJs will take over the Spiegeltent Mór, while over at the Spiegeltent Beag join the comically absurd, skilfully slick and ridiculously entertaining Paradise Cabaret hosted by the pompous and pretentious Cian Austin Jesus and featuring Brian the Magic Man, Leonie Pony, Tom the Clay Head Campbell, Headonbody, The Wild Geeze, The Dirtbird, Gaeilgeoir, Cara Park, Gas Patter of Avoca Reaction and The Ping Pong Girlsas they close out the opening-night celebrations. On Thursday, St. Patrick’s Night head to The Craic House Comedy Tent with comedians Neil Delamare and Grace Mulvey or catch the hottest new Irish acts at Mo Cultivation in the Spiegeltent Mór with Nealo, Celaviedmai, Sim Simma Soundsystem, 1000 Beasts with Khakikid & Decarteret, The X-Collective and DJ Safarii. On Friday, a special Bank Holiday for 2022, legendary Dublin singer songwriter Damien Dempsey will uplift the voices of Dublin and the stories of Ireland on the Main Stage, with Adam Mohamed and special guests to be announced. Join Dublin Comedy Improv, Fred Cooke and MC Danny O'Brien at The Craic House. Bringing their buzzing energy to Festival Quarter Nights, Le Boom are joined by The Glasshouse Orchestra plus guest Æ MAK in Spiegeltent Mór preceded by a second performance from Paradise Cabaret. On Saturday, the Sing Along Social crew make their first appearance in two years with their boldest session to date in the Spiegeltent Mór, alongside 8-piece funk and party anthem troupe Cooks But We're Chefs. Comedians Kevin Mc Gahern and Emma Doran will keep the laughs flowing in The Craic House, while Malaki, Thumper and guests will command the Main Stage. There will be further line-up additions coming soon.
Irish Food & Craft Village at Festival Quarter
Wednesday 16th - Sunday 20th March, from early to close.
Time to connect and relax in the many comfortable seating and relaxation areas in the Irish Food & Craft Village. Feast on contemporary and diverse Irish cooking from the cream of Ireland’s food truck community including Lala Poutine, Bad Boys BBQ, Fire and Food, The Brew Crew Café. and many more. Day to night, refreshments and craft beverages will be served. Enjoy the sweet sounds of live entertainment and DJs from the Festival Quarter Bandstand with Dublin Digital Radio’s Atomic (produced by Kate Butler), Tiny Choons, Homebeat DJs, Lime & Fancy, Selky and more. Browse a selection of beautiful craft stalls to explore. The Irish Food & Craft Village will be open throughout the day for all to enjoy, then from 6pm daily it will be strictly limited to over 18’s. No tickets are required for entry to the Irish Food & Craft Village, all are welcome subject to age restrictions and capacity.
Breathe Festival with Happenings & St. Patrick’s Festival at The Law Society, Dublin 7
Friday 18th March, from 10am - 5pm & Saturday 19th March, from 10am - 1pm
Sustainable, meaningful cultural event producers Happenings will bring their own inimitable style and insights to Breathe Festival, a wonderful day and a half programme of wellness and resilience for the self, our communities and our planet in The Law Society of Ireland, Dublin 7. All ages are welcome to relax and breathe with yoga and mindfulness classes and activities, talks, demos, local food offerings, a mobile sauna and more! Join Bressie, The Happy Pear, Trisha Lewis, Davie Philips, Michael Ryan, Jen Healy, Reggae Yoga, Lou Horgan, Mari Kennedy, The Useless Project, Clean Coasts and Friends of The Earth.
City Festival Programme & What’s Happening Near You!
Thursday 17th - Sunday 20th March, Dublin, Ireland, the World
There will be many St. Patrick’s Festival supported live events and club nights throughout Dublin over the period of the Festival. One such highlight is Ulysses 2.2, curated, presented, and produced by ANU, Landmark Productions and MoLI. This hugely ambitious year-long programme will see 18 cross-disciplinary artists each respond to one of the 18 episodes in Ulysses. Details of the artists and the episode to be presented during St. Patrick’s Festival will be announced shortly.
It has been an incredibly challenging two years for owners and workers across the arts, culture, heritage, festivals, entertainment, tourism, hospitality, and accommodation industries, locally, nationally and internationally. In support of these industries who are indelibly connected with, and vitally important to, St. Patrick’s Festival, an online portal has been developed on our website where artists, arts organisations, cultural institutions, festivals, producers, promoters, venues, clubs, galleries, bars, restaurants and businesses throughout Dublin, Ireland and internationally are invited to submit details of their celebrations, sessions, events, and activities. A number of strict terms and conditions apply, not all submissions can be accommodated. See website for details, criteria, and submission portal.
SPF TV at stpatricksfestival.ie
Wednesday 16th - Sunday 20th. On Demand and Live Streams.
In turning to an online presentation in 2021, through SPF TV the Festival has built a significant global audience. This year, more than 50 pre-recorded programmes will be available to view on SPF TV at stpatricksfestival.ie, all accessible globally, many with sign language and all with closed captions, free of charge and on demand. A selection of events from Festival Quarter will also be streamed live on SPF TV and the Festival’s social media channels, connecting our family of 80 million through music, theatre, art, performance, poetry, storytelling, virtual tours, food and culture. On SPF TV, explore ABAIR 2022 with Macdara Yeates who delves into the oral traditions of Ireland and our closest neighbours in France, Spain, Scotland, and Wales. Be transfixed with the iconic Abbey Theatre’s production of Walls and Windows by the inimitable activist and playwright Rosaleen McDonagh; The Book of Names is the superb theatre production from Landmark Productions and ANU, which tells a tale of espionage, high stakes, and a deadly game of historical doublethink. Explore the SPFxTikTok Creative Fund projects and meet the ten creative community groups and their incredible local projects. Enjoy performances from Iarla O’Lionaird and Steve Cooney, Richard Fearless (Death in Vegas), Anna Mullarkey, Dáithí, and more as we visit some our our best loved venues such as the Pepper Canister in Dublin, Róisín Dubh in Galway, Levis’ Ballydehob in Cork, Set Theatre in Kilkenny and St. Luke’s in Cork. Enjoy a selection of blistering performances from some of Ireland’s most exciting emerging artists including Aonair, Niamh Regan and many more recorded for First Music Contact’s Ireland Music Week. I.NY and I.UK, is an international cultural project that celebrates and brings to life the shared stories of Ireland and New York and the UK. Explore the streets of the capital with a new lens in the Alternative Dublin Street Art Tour and discover some alternative Irish cuisine with chef Tadgh Byrne. Bealtaine Festival presents Dawn to Dusk, an artist documentary film by Therry Rudin on the artists’ collective Na Cailleacha, and watch Mad, Bad & Dangerous, a celebration of ‘difficult women’ in the public eye over 70 years of age. Join the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks in a selection of talks and workshops from their archives. DesignOpp - Ireland in Colour is an artistic response by artists of colour from Ireland. Entertain the kids with some creative challenges from the National Gallery of Ireland and workshops from The Ark. Dr. Dan Nickström returns for some wacky Science at Home workshops. Learn your cúpla focal with Brigid Breathnach and Shona Shirley Mac Donald as they bring their award-winning book Cluasa Capaill ar an Rí to life. Watch Brendan’s Voyage and Fairyland Forest from That’s Life, an arts and participation programme from the Brothers of Charity Services, Galway featuring artists with intellectual disabilities. Marvel at our architectural heritage with Irish Architecture Foundation’s Site-Specific Series 2 and get your poetry fix from IMMA and the Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation’s Ghost from the Recent Past, a call-and-response between artworks and poets. Saoirse by Marion Bergin is a documentary on working-class Dublin horse culture. Building Hope is an online concert and discussion on Traveller culture and mental health. Curated and hosted by Sharyn Ward with performances and discussions with Trish Reilly and Steo Wall and guest appearances from leading figures within the community, in partnership with Axis Ballymun.
