Saturday, March 12th, noon till 6 p.m.
Fred B. Hartnett Ponce Circle Park in Coral Gables
2800 Ponce de Leon Boulevard
admission is free
www.emeraldsocietysfl.com

The South Florida Irish Community invites everyone to join a traditional Celtic celebration at the 33rd Annual St. Patrick’s Day Festival from high noon till 6 p.m., Saturday, March 12th (the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day). The festival will be held at Fred B. Hartnett Ponce Circle Park in Coral Gables (2800 Ponce de Leon Boulevard) just five blocks south of Miracle Mile.

Entertainment will be provided by Avalon featuring the popular Irish singer and harpist, Tricianne Garrihy; The Paddy Kelleghan Band; The C.O.D Band, and by the St. Andrew Bagpipe Band. In addition, Irish dancers from the Breffni Academy of Dance led by Michael O’Hara will provide plenty of fancy stepping and gravity-defying leaps. Lovely participants of The Miss Colleen Pageant will be showcased on stage.

Holding to the belief that “Everyone is a little bit Irish on St. Patrick’s Day,” The St. Patrick’s Day Committee has combined family-oriented entertainment and a variety of palate-pleasing delectables such as traditional corned beef & cabbage and authentic Irish soda bread, as well as a wide array of spirits and other beverages including Irish whisky and Irish stout. The festival will also include many children’s activities, including the Leprechaun Corner, face painting, a giant slide, and the very popular rock-climbing wall. A wide variety of Irish crafts will be available for sale by high quality vendors.

This is the twelfth year the Festival has been held in Coral Gables at Fred B. Hartnett Ponce Circle Park. The site of the Festival is named for former Coral Gables Mayor, the late Fred B. Hartnett, a long-time member of The Emerald Society.

For the past 33 years, the St. Patrick’s Day Committee has organized a St. Patrick’s Day Parade or Festival. The event is produced by the St. Patrick’s Day Committee, Inc. with the support of the City of Coral Gables, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council, the Mayor and the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners.

As always, admission to the Festival is free and open to all. For more information, call 305-949-8400 or visit the South Florida Emerald Society website at www.emeraldsocietysfl.com.

Caption for Photograph: Dancers from the Breffni Academy of Dance