Get your shamrocks ready – Paddy Fest is returning to downtown Tampa Bay. After the success of last year’s inaugural event, the 2nd annual Paddy Fest is doubling the fun with two full days of free, family-friendly activities, taking place on Saturday and Sunday March 16 and 17 from 12-9 pm at Williams Park in downtown St. Pete.
As St. Pete’s biggest St. Patrick’s Day festival, the entire weekend is a celebration of all things Celtic, complete with tons of Irish food (corned beef, anyone?), Irish whiskey and beer (helloooo, Guinness), and live Irish music, including multiple sets from the world champion Dunedin Pipe Band. A new highlight this year is a 7,500 square foot Celtic Games exhibition, where festival attendees are invited to try the traditional games themselves while also enjoying professional performances from the foundation of Scottish Athletes.
With more than 20,000 attendees expected over the sprawling two-day festival, Paddy Fest 2024 will be one of the biggest St. Patrick’s Day festivals in the Tampa Bay Region’s history. Sponsorship packages for the massive celebration are still available, with four months left until Paddy Fest takes over town. iHeartRadio is joining the festivities this year, as well, which will partner with the weekend-long affair to blast the event over the airwaves and bring some of its radio personalities to Williams Park, decked out in green and showcasing all the event shenanigans.
Paddy Fest showcases the best of Tampa Bay
Last year’s inaugural event was a prime example of what a great event in St. Pete’s Williams Park can look like, taking over the entire city block in downtown and showcasing the best of what the entire region has to offer. It was due to that success that organizers decided to make Paddy Fest a two-day event this year, as well as to make entry free and open to all ages.
Live music and dance performances will take the stage all day every day, complete with a lawn for dancing, singing, picnicking, and relaxing. There will also be a two-story, double-decker party bar on site, as well as multiple full bars spread throughout the event. BreakThru Beverage Distributors will be on hand for tastings and cocktails featuring authentic Irish beers and whiskeys, including Tullamore DEW & Slane. Plus, the smash hit “Inflatable Pub” will be back this spring, featuring a gigantic, inflatable, and fully-operational pub with a full bar and seating.
Paddy Fest will also debut an expanded kids zone this year, complete with inflatables, face painting, balloon artists, and other performers. Additionally, the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Tampa Bay Rays will have a major presence yet again, including mascots on-site.
Also new this year is a Kegs and Eggs style brunch on St. Patrick’s Day morning, with local chefs dishing up traditional Irish breakfast plates, along with Irish coffee, Guinness, Harp Lager, and more. While entrance to Paddy Fest is free, there is also a VIP ticket option to mingle in the backstage hospitality tent with celebrity guests and performers while enjoying complimentary beer and Irish food.
Drink green beer for charity
This massive festival in the park is a joint effort between the City of St. Pete and the local team behind St. Patrick’s Day and St. Pete staples Mary Margaret’s Irish Pub and The Galley. It’s the same group that put on Tampa Bay’s biggest World Cup watch parties at Williams Park and Jannus Live at the end of 2022, which proved to be a fantastic experience.
Of course, while Paddy Fest is primarily a Celtic celebration, it’s also an opportunity to support an incredible local cause. Proceeds from the event will benefit Ocean Aid 360, a St. Pete-based non-profit focused on marine habitat restoration. More than $20K was raised for Ocean Aid 360 through last year’s Paddy fest and the World Cup watch parties, and organizers look forward to making yet another meaningful donation after the festival.
St. Paddy’s Festival celebrates all things local
One of the best facets of the festival, of course, is the emphasis on supporting local artists and businesses. Many of our favorite area food trucks will be on hand, and celebrated local chef Melanie Rattanachane from Fresh Factory will be leading the way in creating and serving authentic Irish dishes.
The deep roster of food trucks offers something for any palate, with Slammer Shop, La Strada, and Mini Mouthful highlighting some of the local favorites. For lunch, dinner or an afternoon snack, there’s food for any need. There will also be area makers and artists showcasing their goods in the vendor market, including an all-Irish portion of the market.
There’s even a big local tie in the organization of the event itself. For the second year in a row, Paddy Fest is largely being organized by Pete Boland and Kat Van Dora, a pair of born-and-raised locals who have spent more than a decade together throwing parties full of green beer and Jameson shots. The duo runs Mary Margaret’s Irish Pub together, and they got their start in the industry when the two began working at Courigan’s Irish Pub back in 2009, making this their 15th-straight St. Patrick’s party to throw for St. Pete.
“It’s nice to come full circle here,” Boland said. St. Patrick’s is a special day for us, and we’re thrilled to do something on this level for the city we love on our favorite holiday.”
Paddy Fest St. Pete takes place from 12-9 pm on Saturday and Sunday, March 16 and 17.
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