St Patrick’s Festival 2026

Programmed by Head the Ball, this year’s line-up will be filled with an exciting mix of traditional and contemporary performances from Ireland and London. 

Our host Rachel Galvo will welcome a series of performances, including: 

• Irish Culture Centre Community choir 
• Moonlight: The Philip Lynott Enigma
• Carrie Baxter 
• Cor Na Nog choir 
• Jig and a Swig and The London Bodhran Band 
• The Wran 
• Nell Mescal
• The Big Irish Language Lesson
• Huartan 
• David Keenan 
• The Commitments 

Irish Creative Collective are back this year bringing their sessions to the square with a great line up of comedy, spoken word, music and Irish Film and TV film shorts. The tent will be filled with laughter and song – not to be missed.  

Film shorts presented by London Irish Film & TV. 

Across the generations, Irish LGBTQ+ people have emigrated and found opportunities to live and love abroad. Yet this journey was rarely a simple transition. The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum are proud to play a role in illuminating this hidden history of the Irish abroad. In almost every pattern of Irish emigration – from the story of Ireland’s religious diaspora to the history of Irish humanitarianism and the Irish search for employment abroad – can be found an LGBTQ+ story. Out in the World highlights 12 stories from the vast yet largely untold story of Ireland’s LGBTQ+ diaspora. Through six themes – exclusion, community, love, defiance, solidarity and return, this exhibition celebrates the role that Irish emigrants have played in making Ireland and the world a more inclusive place for LGBTQ+ people. 

Pall Mall East will be awash with arts and crafts activities for all the family. Celebrating St Patrick’s Day, a friendly team of creatives from Artburst will guide families through the free drop-in workshops throughout the day.

Back for another year The Embassy of Ireland have lined up four Irish poets who you can hear sharing their words throughout Charing Cross Underground Station and Covent Garden Station on the same day as our event and on the 17 March. And for the first time, one of the poems will be in Irish!

Coming all the way from Ireland for all to enjoy, this interactive working depiction of a traditional Irish Cottage from the last century is here in all its glory. Step inside and step back in time.  

Sponsored by SISK. 

• Tourism Ireland 
• Big Retail 
• Trinity Hampers 
• London Irish Centre 
• Irish in Britain 
• Conradh na Gaeilge i Londain 
• Irish Language Lessons 
• Irish Film & TV UK 
• Irish Cultural Centre Hammersmith  

• Clonakilty 
• BaeGals 
• Blackpudding 
• Blanco Niño 
• Churros Garcia 
• E8Fish 
• Express Coffee 
• Gloria Bros Ice Cream 
• Korean Fired Chicken 
• Poutinie 
• Scotch & Thyme Catering 
• Celebrity chef Anna Haugh - The Wee Sister 
• You Bao  

and providing us with the bar this year we are pleased to welcome back and providing us with the bar this year we are pleased to welcome back POLAR EVENTS.  

Pall Mall East will be closed on 16 March from 5:00am, from the junction with Haymarket to return to Cockspur St. This road will open at 11:00pm.

From 9:00am the following roads will be closed on 16 March:  

All roads closed for the parade will reopen at 4:00pm. 

We will do our best to make sure you feel welcome and enjoy our event. Our event staff and volunteers are here to help with any questions you might have. 

When you arrive, our stewards and Team London volunteers will greet you. Our Team London volunteers will be wearing purple high-visibility jackets and are ready to answer any questions. There will also be clear signs to help guide you around the event. Please note, we will conduct a bag search at the entrance for everyone attending. 

The event has a level access entrance, and it is wheelchair accessible.  All paths are accessible for wheelchair users and there is a lift that connects the North Terrace to the Main Square. Stewards will be there to help you find your way. Assistance dogs are welcome too. 

The festival can get busy. If being in crowds is difficult for you, you can use our accessible viewing area. It is located on the north terrace of Trafalgar Square. This area has hearing loop facilities for the performances on the main stage, and chairs are available for companions and anyone who needs to sit. 

All shows with speech on the main stage will have a British Sign Language interpreter. You can see this on the screen on the right side of the main stage. 

The event may be loud at times due to music and performances. If you need ear defenders, you can ask for them at our information point or speak to a volunteer for help. 

The event is relaxed. You can join or leave at any time and move around as you like. You do not need to be quiet. 

In addition to toilets, we will also have Mobiloo accessible toilet at the event. This toilet has a hoist and a changing table. If you need to use the hoist, please bring your own sling for safety and convenience. You can find more information on Mobiloo’s website.

If you need any help on the day with more information about the event, just ask one of our stewards or volunteers, and they will be happy to assist you. 

Trafalgar Square is easy to reach by public transport, including buses, the Tube, and national rail services. 

Tube

The nearest Underground station with step-free access from platform to street level is Westminster Station, which is served by the Jubilee, District, and Circle lines. 

From Westminster Station, it’s about a 10-minute walk to Trafalgar Square. 

Charing Cross Underground Station is the closest Tube station and is served by the Northern and Bakerloo lines. However, this station does not have step-free access. 

Bus

Bus routes that stop close to Trafalgar Square include: 

Routes 3, 6, 9, 11, 12, 15, 23, 87, 88, 91, 139, and 176, with most buses having wheelchair access. 

For accessible travel options, including step-free routes and Dial-A-Ride services, you can visit the TfL (Transport for London) website for maps and to plan your journey: tfl.gov.uk. 

National Rail

The nearest railway station is Charing Cross. It is 325 metres away, approximately 3 minutes’ walk.

Charing Cross rail station offers step-free access and a step-free route to Trafalgar Square. 

Accessible parking

The surrounding area on Trafalgar Square can get very busy on the day of the event, so we recommend you take public transport if you're visiting the event. If you’re unable to take public transport for accessibility reasons, accessible parking is available near Trafalgar Square. 

There are Blue Badge parking spaces on St Martin’s Street, located next to the National Gallery. Please be aware that these spaces are around 250 metres from the National Gallery. There are three designated Blue Badge parking bays available here. 

For more information on parking, you can contact the Westminster Parking Information Service on 020 7823 4567. The helpline is open Monday to Saturday, from 8am to 8pm. To find other blue badge parking bays nearby, you can find disabled Blue Badge bays on the City of Westminster’s website using the postcode WC2N 5DN.