This week, the programme for the national St. Patrick’s Festival, Dublin, Ireland, March 16th to 19th 2023 was unveiled. The theme of this year’s spectacular global celebration of Irish arts, culture and heritage is ‘ONE’, as the Festival issues an open invite to people from all over the world to come to Dublin, Ireland to share, to connect, to participate and to celebrate together as one.

The National St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Dublin, 2023

This year’s National St. Patrick’s Day Parade, driven by the values of community, diversity, youth and sustainability, will be the most ambitious ever, featuring breath-taking new artistic, interactive and aerial elements.

With half a million spectators expected to line this year’s route, the Parade will feature 7 creative pageants, 10 transitional showpiece performances, 15 marching bands from across Ireland, North America and Canada, and over 4,000 participants in what is shaping up to be the largest ever National St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Festival Quarter At The National Museum Of Ireland, Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks

Returning for 2023 after an incredibly successful debut last year is the St. Patrick’s Festival Quarter at the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks which will be home to a magical day-to-night urban Festival for all, from March 16th to 18th. The grounds of one of Ireland’s most spectacular and historic heritage sites in the heart of Dublin will feature Spiegeltent Mór and Spiegeltent Beag, a 3,000 capacity outdoor Main Stage, Story Yurt, performance spaces, relaxation areas, a mini-funfair including Ferris Wheel and the Irish Food and Craft Village.

One City Festival Programme

As part of a curated programme of events in collaboration with cultural partners around the city, there will be many St. Patrick’s Festival supported live events and club nights throughout Dublin over the period of the Festival. Enjoy everything from art exhibitions to yoga classes, orchestral performances to brand new theatre pieces, walking tours to skiff racing. This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the city while also supporting our workers across the arts, culture, heritage, festivals, entertainment, tourism, hospitality and accommodation industries, locally, nationally and internationally. New for 2023 is the Festival After Dark, a series of events in Nightclubs post 11pm.

Catherine Martin T.D, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media commented: “It is said that everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day and we welcome that inclusion warmly. It is a day to celebrate our heritage and our history and we invite the world to join in the 2023 celebrations. The festival has grown and flourished through the years and is full of the best of Irish culture, creativity and heritage of which we are all very proud. I have approved support of €600,000 from my Department for this great festival and I look forward to the full and eventful line up which has been organised for this year’s festival.”

Orla Carroll, Director of Product Development at Fáilte Ireland said: “St. Patrick’s Festival returns to Dublin this year, with a spectacular parade and an amazing line up of music, arts and entertainment that celebrates our culture, our people and our places. This year’s festival will be the largest ever St. Patrick’s Day celebration and will give visitors from at home and abroad the opportunity to experience the very best of our capital city, while kick-starting the tourist season by showcasing Ireland as a fantastic tourist destination to people around the world. In particular, we welcome the many marching bands that have travelled to join the festival and really add to the atmosphere of celebration. 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.”

The full Festival Programme is available now atstpatricksfestival.ie.