The National St. Patrick’s Festival is back!
Live on the streets of Dublin. Virtually on the screens of the World.
St. Patrick’s Festival 2022
A Global Celebration of Irish Arts, Culture and Heritage
16-20 March 2022
#spf22 #stpatricksfestival
The spectacular National St. Patrick’s Day Parade returns to the streets of Dublin on Thursday March 17th, the biggest and most ambitious ever produced in scale, creativity, and participants!
And this year, we're thrilled to announce a full programme for our Festival Quarter in the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks - A magical day-to-night urban Festival for all, in the heart of Dublin. March 16th to 20th, 2022
Artists, performers, comedians, and clubs announced include
Lyra, Damien Dempsey, Soulé, Le Boom with Glasshouse Orchestra and Æ MAK, Malaki, Thumper, Bobbi Arlo, Nealo, Celaviedmai, Sim Simma Soundsystem, 1000 Beasts with DeCarteret & Khakikid, The X-Collective, Selló, Cooks But We're Chefs, The Bonnymen, Jiggy, Shandrum Céilí Band, Neil Delamare, Grace Mulvey, Fred Cooke, Emma Doran, Dublin Comedy Improv, Danny O’Brien, Kevin McGahern, MOTHER, Sing Along Social, Paradise Cabaret, Féile na Gealaí, Adam Mohamed, Donal Dineen and many more.
Today, Monday, February 7th, 2022, the programme for the National St. Patrick’s Festival, Dublin, Ireland, March 16th to 20th, 2022, is unveiled. CONNECTIONS/NAISC is the theme of this year’s spectacular global celebration of Irish arts, culture and heritage, as the Festival invites Ireland and the world to reconnect in Dublin after the unparalleled challenges of recent years. St. Patrick’s Festival 2022 will be a landmark celebration, the largest in scale and ambition to date, a moment for the nation and for the Irish across the world to connect and reflect, celebrate, and welcome.
Through contemporary and traditional Irish arts, culture and heritage, the Festival will connect families, friends and communities across Ireland, and our global tribe of 80 million. The iconic National St. Patrick’s Day Parade returns to the streets of Dublin on March 17th, with more pageants, more marching bands, and more participants than ever before! And new for 2022 is Festival Quarter at the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barrackswhich will be home to a magical day-to-night urban Festival for all, from March 16th to 20th on the grounds of one of Ireland’s most spectacular and historic heritage sites, in the heart of Dublin. Festival Quarter will also host the Irish Food & Craft Village, a daily showcase of Ireland’s incredible produce, arts and crafts and a space for all to relax and connect.
The wellness event Breathe, presented by Happenings and St. Patrick’s Festival, will take place on the grounds of The Law Society in Dublin 7 on March 18th and 19th, while City Funfairs return to Custom House Quay from March 17th to 20th. SPF TV, the Festival’s virtual TV station at stpatricksfestival.ie will offer front row seats to live performances and recorded programmes from March 16th to 20th for those who cannot attend in person. Additionally, there will be many St. Patrick’s Festival supported live events and club nights throughout Dublin, all of which will be announced shortly. A new portal on the Festival website will welcome event submissions from Dublin, Ireland and the World, making stpatricksfestival.ie a central, global focus for all who wish to celebrate Ireland’s national holiday.
St. Patrick’s Festival is made possible through the continued support of the Government of Ireland, the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Fáilte Ireland, Dublin City Council, and many generous partners and funders.
The Festival Programme is available here and will continue to be updated as more events are announced and tickets for a small number of paid events will go on-sale this Friday, February 11th at 9am. See www,stpatricksfestival.ie for details and tickets. To be the first to hear all the news, join the Festival mailing list on the website and follow St. Patrick’s Festival on all social media channels.
Of the Programme announcement, Anna McGowan, Interim Director, St. Patrick’s Festival said: “We are so thrilled to bring St. Patrick’s Festival back to the streets of Dublin this coming March. The very best of Ireland’s creative community have come together to present a spectacular programme of events, the biggest, most exciting offering we have ever produced. Hundreds of artists, arts workers, makers, creators, live events teams and community organisations, drawn from across the nation, will present a magical five days and nights of live and virtual events, from song, story and performance, to film, theatre, tours, food and so much more. We are incredibly thankful to all our funders, partners and sponsors who have made this year’s Festival possible. We can’t wait to welcome Ireland and the World back to Dublin and we are equally delighted that we can continue to present a virtual programme through SPF TV for those who cannot be with us in person.”
Catherine Martin T.D, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media commented: “On the theme of connections, St Patrick’s Festival embodies the connections and synergies between the artistic, cultural and tourism aspects of my Ministerial brief. I am pleased that both my Department and Fáilte Ireland have been able to contribute significant funding to support an exciting programme that combines live, in-person events and experiences alongside those curated online and showcases a host of brilliant artists and performers, supported by talented creatives and technicians. In this way, whether you are a local, a tourist or someone connecting virtually, you can engage with a multi-faceted programme that harnesses Ireland’s heritage, culture and creativity to deliver uplifting experiences and lasting memories. And the high international profile of this celebration of our national day sends the message out loud and clear – Ireland is open again for tourism and we cannot wait to roll out the “green carpet” and welcome visitors from near and far to come and experience, hands-on and in-person, our “Céad Míle Fáilte”.”
Speaking of the Festival programme announcement, Lord Mayor of Dublin, Alison Gilliland said: “After an absence of two years, it’s wonderful to see the return of St. Patrick’s Festival with in person events and the parade through our Capital’s streets on March 17th which will include a much missed international flavour. The programme is packed full of so much fantastic Irish talent, with something for all ages and interests. I congratulate the St. Patrick’s Festival Board and team for once again creating such a wonderful celebration of our contemporary culture.”
Orla Carroll, Director of Product Development at Fáilte Ireland said: “It is wonderful to see the St. Patrick’s Festival return to Dublin this year. With a spectacular parade planned and an amazing line up of music and entertainment celebrating our culture, people and places, the Festival will give visitors the opportunity to experience the very best of our capital city, while showcasing Ireland as a fantastic tourist destination to people around the world. Festivals and events play a key role in delivering brilliant visitor experiences, providing a unique reason for visitors to choose a destination and increasing footfall for local businesses, supporting jobs and revenue generation. Festivals such as the St. Patrick’s Festival will be crucial as we work towards welcoming international visitors and the recovery of the tourism sector.”
Lynn Scarff, Director of the National Museum of Ireland adds: “National Museum of Ireland is delighted to partner with St. Patrick’s Festival this year to host the Festival Quarter. We are looking forward to seeing the grounds of the National Museum of Ireland animated by the amazing performers and events lined up for the festival and welcoming visitors into our Museum. This partnership demonstrates how our cultural institutions are important anchors in a vibrant arts and culture community and we’re honoured to be part of it.”
