St. Patrick's Day Event Programme Announced!

The spectacular national St. Patrick’s Day Parade returns on Monday the 17th of March, with the St. Patrick’s Festival Events programme placing festival fun right into the heart of the city, where tales, trails and treasure await!

The theme of this years’ global celebration of Irish Arts, culture and heritage is Adventures (Eachtraí), representing the famed and legendary Adventurous spirit that lives inside us all, known and loved the world over as a defining symbol of Irishness. It is that innate ability as a nation to transform fear into courage, face any challenge head on and turn it into an adventure, forging new paths as we go.

This year’s St. Patrick’s Festival invites locals and visitors alike to a celebration like no other across a city of tales, trails, and treasures, where every street tells a story of history, of magic, of adventures. All are welcome to experience the world-famous parade, immersive on-street performances and the cultural delights of a city bursting with life. Guests can expect a huge celebration of Irish culture throughout the weekend, from captivating street theatre to comedy that fills the city streets with joy and laughter, awe-inspiring circus performances, family-friendly areas, neurodivergent friendly performances, a lively Céilí Mór located at the beautiful Merrion Square on the 17th and everything in between! 

The Parade

This year’s National St. Patrick’s Day Parade,driven by the values of joy, community, diversity and sustainability, promises to be the most joyful yet, bringing more experiences, laughter, spectacle and delight to those watching. 

The iconic procession will feature Ireland’s foremost creative parade companies including Bui Bolg, Spraoi, Inishowen Carnival Group, The Outing Queer Arts Collective, Artastic and Art FX, with a highly anticipated Parade return coming in the form of the beloved and legendary Macnas and Cork Puppetry Company! The 2025 parade will also see a beautiful and meaningful collaboration between St. Patrick’s Festival and Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre who are celebrating 40 years of Pavee Point. This particular piece will honour the wagon wheel, a shared traditional focal point for both groups, and bring the two together as they share stories & skills between the two communities. Kia embarks on its fourth adventure as an official sponsor of St. Patrick’s Festival, with their support continuing to drive the festival’s success. Dublin Zoo havejumped on board with a larger-than-life twist on our theme of Adventures – expect surprises that’ll leave crowds roaring for more! With half a million spectators expected to line this year’s route, the Parade will feature over 23 artistic parade performances and ceremonial unit displays, 10 community groups performances (as part of the St. Patrick’s Festival Community Arts Programme), and 12 marching bands from across Ireland, North America and Austria.

Under the guidance of new Artistic Director, Aoife Carry, the Festival has worked closely with all of the parade companies, drawing on their vast experience and utilising all of their unique talent and artistic flair to really bring the theme of Adventures to life. 

After a huge uptake in attendance and extremely positive feedback from guests, St. Patrick’s Festival is thrilled to announce the return of the Dublin City Council Relaxed Parade Space for 2025, allowing neurodivergent members of our communities and their families to safely enjoy the festivities in a safe, sensory-friendly environment. The application for the Dublin City Council Relaxed Parade Space is now open and guests will be selected by lottery on February 17th. 

A limited number of Parade Grandstand Seats and Hospitality Packages can be purchased at www.stpatricksfestival.ie and for those that are unable to attend this year’s Parade, the full Parade will be broadcast nationally live on RTÉ One, and around the world on RTÉ Player.

Events Programme

St. Patrick’s Festival is thrilled to launch the 2025 programme of events, with an immersive offering of interactive and awe-inspiring experiences taking place against the backdrop of our historic city. This year Dublin comes to life with events that celebrate the city, through a diverse and eclectic array of entertainment, on-street performances and cultural experiences, with something for everyone, each and every way you turn! This exciting new adventure places the Festival back into the beating heart of the city, delivering electric and joyous energy pulsing right across the weekend as Dublin transforms into a playground of discovery and wonder for all ages and interests, from the very best of our esteemed creative communities.

Kicking off the festival will be the much-loved Dublin City Council Treasure Hunt which makes a triumphant return for 2025 and is guaranteed to be a hit with all ages. The perfect way to explore and rediscover Dublin City.

For the remainder of the weekend, be sure to explore the city and catch acrobatic delights and juggling wonders with circus companies like Cikada Circus, Tumble Circus, Hands Down Circus, Symmetry Circus and Amadan Circus on city corners; dance on the pavement to tunes by Acid Granny and the Shamrock Show Band; or stop by to wonder and enjoy Team Fuinneamh or Moss Russell ‘Squish Stomp Spin’ (both neurodivergent friendly performances!).

Performance and visual art will surprise and delight all over the city, courtesy of talented creatives and cultural curators including interdisciplinary performing artist Elisa Gallo Rosso, multidisciplinary dancer and percussionist, Favour Odusola, illustrator and visual artist Harry Pizzey and many more! While the streets teem with performance and adventure, there’s even more to be found across a plethora of iconic city locations, including the Wood Quay Amphitheatre, Wolfe Tone Square, Hugh Lane Gallery, Capel Street, Barnardo Square and St. Stephen’s Green.

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. More details and announcements to follow on www.stpatricksfestival.ie over the coming weeks. 

The 18th annual Aware Harbour2Harbour Walk takes place this St Patrick’s Day, Monday 17th March. Over 3,000 enthusiastic walkers are expected to take on the 26 km challenge with the option of starting at Howth or Dun Laoghaire Harbour and finishing at the opposite harbour. 

The Festival Programme is available now at stpatricksfestival.ieand will continue to be updated as more events are announced.