DERRY City and Strabane District Council is inviting the public to celebrate St Patrick’s Day in style with a weekend of music, dance, food and folklore in its ‘Spring Carnival March 17th – 19th – a Feast of Great Events’.
The St Patrick’s Day celebrations will run concurrently with the LegenDerry Food Festival and a host of arts and multi-cultural events including The Ubuntu Global Festival, Urban Villages and Communities United Spring Festivals.
The theme of this year’s festival is Forever Young – a celebration of youthfulness of mind and spirit.
The highlight of the St Patrick’s Day celebrations on Friday March 17th will be the Spring Carnival Parades in Derry City and Strabane where over 500 people from community based carnival programmes will perform for thousands of spectators.
Before and after the parades there will be entertainment all afternoon in Waterloo Place and Strabane’s Alley Theatre including live music and children’s arts, face painting and much more.
Speaking at this week’s launch, Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Alderman Hilary McClintock, noted this year’s packed programme has something for all the family.
“I am really excited about this year’s St Patrick’s Day Spring Carnival,” she said.
“The comprehensive and varied programme of events encourages local people and visitors to get out and celebrate all that our area has to offer.
“I am particularly looking forward to welcoming community groups from throughout the City and District to my St Patrick’s Tea Dance at the Foyle Arena on Wednesday March 15th and my St Patrick’s Day celebrations at The Craft Village on the day itself.
“With the Ubuntu Global Festival and the Legenderry Food Festival, which is now established as one of the top food gatherings on the island of Ireland, running in tandem, the programme has something for everyone.”
Festival and Events Officer at Derry City and Strabane District Council, Sharon Meenan, said the feast of great events represented the perfect way to welcome in spring for the young and young at heart.
“The Spring Carnival Programme is the perfect guide to your St Patrick’s weekend and release your inner child to celebrate Forever Young,” she said.
“The parades will bring together community, arts and performance groups from across the city and beyond to celebrate youthfulness of mind and spirit.
“As well as live music in the centre of Derry and Strabane, there are events all over the city and district to choose from and make it a weekend to remember.”
The LegenDerry Food Festival from Friday March 17th until Sunday March 19th is a three day celebration of local food.
Chefs, restauranteurs and producers from the local area will showcase their food offering to the public at the event in Guildhall Square from 12 noon until 6pm each day.
The Ubuntu Festival is a one day family orientated multicultural arts celebration and aims to promote global diversity through a colourful display of the wide variety of cultures that exist in the Derry and Strabane area.
The free admission event on Saturday March 18th will be hosted across three venues: The Craft Village, Waterloo Place and Bishop Street and will feature vibrant traditional music and performance, arts and crafts and exhibitions of different cultures.
More information on Council’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations are available at www.derrystrabane.com/springcarnival.
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