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The 2008 St. Patrick's Festival Parade will be taking place on (Monday) 17th March, as per usual! St. Patrick's Festival is Ireland's official celebration for Ireland's national holiday – St. Patrick's Day. Around the globe on the 17th March, Ireland is celebrated with parties and parades but the BIG party is here in Ireland where we celebrate in style with five days and nights of fantastic celebratory events, most of which are free! From March 13th to 17th 2008 there will be so much on offer - music, street theatre, family carnivals, comedy, street performances, dance, a treasure hunt, night spectacles .... culminating on Monday March 17th with the world famous St. Patrick's Day Parade. Over five days, 4000 performers and 1 million people will be celebrating Ireland. So whether you are Irish or just wish you were, Ireland is the place to be next March to enjoy Ireland's biggest party. We are very proud to announce that St. Patrick's Festival was the Overall Winner of the prestigious Dublin Tourism Enterprise Award 2007. The magnificent St. Patrick’s Festival Parade was a dizzying and delightful array of colour and pageantry. Themed Legendary the spirits of Irish, European and world myths came alive through giant puppets, breathtaking costumes and dramatic street theatre. Add in performing groups and marching bands from Ireland, Europe, India, Africa and the USA, and we have a multi-cultural parade to rival any in the world! The Lord Mayor and State Ceremonial section headed the parade in fine ceremonial style. They were joined by nine US marching bands, as well as bands from Ireland, Spain and Germany, ensuring that the 2007 St Patrick’s Festival Parade was a feast of music and spectacle. Legends new and old were represented in the parade in ten exciting, colourful pageants produced by professional street theatre companies, community groups and visiting performance groups from abroad. Irish legends were represented by Buí Bolg from Wexford in their striking pageant Grace O’Malley Pirate Queen and IADT Dun Laoghaire took an imaginative take on the legend of Balor. Fionn and the Fianna, the Salmon of Knowledge and a fiery dragon were brought to life by Legendary Creatures, a festival co-production as part of an EU Culture 2000 project. Tying the Knot another Culture 2000 co-production brought together the Armagh Rhymers, the Seamus Ennis School and Mamuthones from Sardinia. Inishowen Carnival Group Donegal presented Voyages based on epic Irish voyages. The Irish Sikh Council made a vibrant parade debut with Portraits of Courage and MaSamba from Dublin took inspiration from the legends of Brazil in Maracatú. Legendary King Midas and his Golden Touch was performed by over 250 participants from Artastic in Kildare. New legends joined old as Waterford Spraoi presented an array of gigantic, terrifying meat eaters in The Greatest Show on Earth. City Fusion a co-production between St Patrick’s Festival and Dublin City Council brought together 16 multi-cultural community groups who celebrated Dublin with a new legend of the city titled CityChange.
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