Newtown Irish Festival Gets Underway Thursday

The 6th Annual Newtown Irish Festival will kick off this Thursday, March 17 and will feature several days of St. Patrick's Day fun.

Festivities, which include music, food, drinks, dancing, children's activities and more, will run through Sunday at the Green Parrot on Sycamore Street.

The family-friendly festival will include Irish step-dancers, face painting, caricature and balloon artists as well as traditional Irish food like corned beef and cabbage, lamb stew, bangers and mash and shepherd’s pie.

There will be live Irish music by bands such as Blackthorn, The Hooligans, Clancy’s Pistol and Galway Guild. Individual performers include Ray Coleman, Seamus Kelleher, Diarmond McSweeney, Seamus McGoary and McHugh & O’Neill.

Admission is $10 per person at the door. Food and drinks are available for purchase.

Here are more details:

• Beginning at 2 p.m. on Friday, March 18, WMGK’s Andre Gardner will be broadcasting live during the festival.
• On Sunday, March 20 Philadelphia band Secret Service will perform from 5-9 p.m.
• New this year is the Shamrock Shuffle 5K Run through Newtown, which will be held Saturday at 9 a.m. The race takes runners down Sycamore Street, up to Council Rock High Schools and Newtown Middle School and back. To register for the 5K Run, visit www.GPShamrockShuffle5K.eventbrite.com.
• A pre-festival kick-off party will be held Thursday, March 10.

For information, visit the Green Parrot at www.greenparrotrestaurant.com.