St. Patrick's Festival, established by the
Government of Ireland
The Government of Ireland () is the executive (government), executive authority of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, headed by the , the head of government. The government – also known as the cabinet (government), cabinet – is composed of Mini ...
in November 1995, is a
tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement.
Types
Places of natural beaut ...
, aiming to showcase a modern and creative Ireland, and has since developed into a multi day celebration which takes place annually on and around March 17,
St. Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (), is a religious and cultural holiday held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patron saint of Ireland.
Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Chri ...
- the national holiday of
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
.
The principal aim of the Festival was to "develop a major annual international event around the national holiday over which the 'owners' of the festival - the Irish people, would stand proud."
The festival is held in several Irish cities, including Dublin, Cork, Killarney, Waterford, Sligo, Kilkenny and Limerick.
2024
In 2024, the festival ran for four days and included pageants, music gigs, walking tours and art exhibitions.
Tourism Ireland website, ''St Patrick’s Festival in Dublin'', retrieved September 16, 2024
/ref> This culminated in the St Patrick's Day celebration which saw 500,000 people join the St Patrick’s Day Parade.[St Patrick's Festival website, ''Highlights from St. Patrick's Festival 2024'', published April 16, 2024]
/ref>
The festival was funded by the government's Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, as well as Fáilte Ireland and Dublin City Council;
References
External links
St. Patrick's Festival official website
Festivals in Ireland
Festival
A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...
Spring (season) in the Republic of Ireland
{{Ireland-stub