Europe’s biggest Irish Festival returns to Manchester with live music and epic parade

The Manchester Irish Festival celebrating the culture and heritage of the Emerald Isle is set to descend on the city again next month.

Ten days of Irish revelry will take over the city from March 8th-17th, shining a light on its vibrant community and flooding the city with live music and dancing, including the ‘best St Patrick’s Day celebrations outside of Ireland’. 

Manchester’s Irish Festival is Europe’s biggest Irish festival, hosting 200 events across the city including a lively pop-up festival village, a legendary parade with more than 30 colourful and impressive floats featuring dancers and bands, through to a 12-hour St Patrick’s Day party. 

With so many activities and events available, here are the top 10 you won’t want to miss: 

• The Irish Parade

The Irish World Heritage Centre will once again provide the starting point for this year’s Irish Parade, happening on March 10th from 12pm. 

The parade will return to its full glory, with incredible floats featuring hundreds of people showcasing the culture, heritage, sounds and joy of the Manchester Irish community. 

Local organisations and communities will be flying their county flags and Manchester’s vast array of Irish dance teams will dazzle spectators with glittering costumes, as marching bands bring the sounds of the Emerald Isle to the streets of Manchester.

The route will see the parade – sponsored by local Irish construction group Blue Central – travel along Cheetham Hill Road, to the AO Arena, passing Manchester Fort, before turning around, and heading back to the Irish World Heritage Centre – lasting approximately two hours. 

• Irish Festival Village

All roads lead to the Irish Festival Village – filled with vibrant pop-up venues on St Ann’s Square, all taking place under a huge tent.

Visitors can expect the best of live Irish music, a huge screen showing Ireland’s Six Nations games, Manchester’s creamiest pint of Guinness and mouth watering Irish-themed food. The Irish Festival Village launches on the 8th March and will run right up to St Patrick’s Day, on March 17th.

• Ceili-Cise

This Ceili-Cise dancing class for adults promises a fun and friendly atmosphere for beginners. Based in Levenshulme’s Klondyke, anyone can join this event which will take place from 5:30pm on March 11th. 

• St Patrick’s Day at O’Sheas

Manchester’s iconic Irish bar is back with a huge day of shenanigans for St Patrick’s Day. Entry during the day is free with their famous Irish Breakfast served from 10am and the very best of live music throughout the day from Lochin, Joe Keegan and Green Hot Clover. 

• Damien Dempsey

After a triumphant run of sold out Summer dates across Ireland last year, Irish sensation, Damien Dempsey has announced a tour for March 2024 with dates in England and Scotland including performing at the Manchester Club Academy on Saturday, March 9th. 

• John McSherry Trio performance

Hailed as a ‘true master’ of music according to Irish Music Magazine, John McSherry will launch ‘Féile’, the live debut album of the John McSherry Trio. Watch them perform on March 17th, at 8pm at Band on the Wall. 

• Palace Nightclub Reunion Quiz

This event is a reunion for Palace nightclub in Levenshulme that opened in 1989. The Irish Club hosted some of the biggest names in Irish Entertainment, and this quiz night will be hosted in Hennigan’s Sports Bar – just a stone’s throw away from the original nightclub. This will take place from 7pm on March 12th. 

• Irish National Studies Conference

Attend talks from social historians and more, providing a space to learn and network. Centred at the Irish World Heritage Centre from 9am, this day exploring identity will be accompanied by Irish music from the McGuire family. 

• Limerick Competition

A limerick competition is a fun event to get the whole family involved in. On March 13th, the Bowling Green, in Chorlton, will be hosting this competition, so brush up on some Edward Lear and give it a go. 

•  St Patricks Day at Rustik West Didsbury

Venture outside of the City Centre to West Didsbury and you’ll come across Rusitk, the only place to be around St Patricks Day if you’re on Burton Road. Two weeks of non stop live music, the Cheltenham festival races, mouth-watering food and creamy pints of Guinness. Events happening from March 12th – 17th.

Sláinte!

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