If you're looking for a fun way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Dallas this year, then attend the annual North Texas Irish Festival!
This huge festival takes place throughout the massive Fair Park Fairgrounds. It's billed as the "Largest Celtic Event in the U.S. Southwest" and presented by the Southwest Celtic Music Association. From Irish music and dance to food and drink, the North Texas Irish Festival is truly a celebration of the Celtic traditions!
Main stage at the North Texas Irish Festival — Photo courtesy of North Texas Irish Festival (NTIF)
When it comes to Irish music and dance, no other event has anything on the North Texas Irish Festival, which features dozens of local, national and international groups and bands. Festival-goers can enjoy a wide variety of traditional Irish ballads, pub songs, modern rock and instrumentals inspired by the "Emerald Isle."
If you enjoy all types of entertainment, you'll be delighted by the various dance troupes that kick up their heels to dance the Irish Jig and the roaming entertainers (like chalk artists) that know how to make little ones smile. You may even get so much into the Irish spirit that you decide to join in on the dancing!
Come with an appetite and sample a number of Irish specialties, like the always perfectly paired Irish stew and Guinness. And an Irish festival just wouldn't be complete without whiskey tasting, which is something visitors can do at this event, too.
Kids will love the various educational programs and entertainment, like traditional Irish storytelling, while adults with a thirst for knowledge will enjoy learning more about the Scottish Clans, Gaelic sports (like football and hurling) and Irish dogs. Shoppers can peruse through vendor booths that feature Irish and Scottish imports, crafts, art and other rare finds.
There's something for everyone at this fun annual Irish festival in Dallas. Make plans to attend now, as it only takes place for three days per year.
In 2015, the North Texas Irish Festival is set for Friday, March 6, through Sunday, March 8. On Friday, the hours are from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.; on Saturday, the hours are from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.; and on Sunday, the hours are from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Festival ticket prices vary by day. For example, if you come on Friday between 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., you get in free. If you come after 7 p.m., admission tickets are $10.
On Saturday, the general admission fee is $20, but you can get discounted tickets online or at a local Tom Thumb grocery store. On Sunday, the general admission fee is $15, with online tickets and Tom Thumb tickets only $14. Kids 11 or under and leprechauns (in full dress and carrying a pot of gold) get in free.
Another great bonus of this festival is that it's pet friendly! Dogs, cats, rabbits and wombats on leashes are welcome.
