Mayor announces return of London’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations
- London’s annual celebration of Irish culture and heritage will return on 12th March
- More than 50,000 people expected to join spectacular procession and parade of Irish marching bands, dancers and pageantry through the heart of London
- Trafalgar Square set to host free family-friendly events showcasing the very best of Irish arts, performance, culture, food and dance
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today announced London’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations will return on Sunday, 12th March with a host of events celebrating Irish culture and heritage in the heart of the capital.
The festivities will kick off at 12pm with a spectacular parade of Irish marching bands, dancers and pageantry.
More than 50,000 people are expected to join the annual procession which will wind its way through the centre of London from Green Park through Piccadilly Circus to Trafalgar Square.
From 12-6pm, Trafalgar Square will once again be showcasing the very best of Irish arts, performance, culture, food and dance with Masterchef champion Riyadh Khalaf compering an exciting line up.
Londoners and visitors can look forward to a free afternoon of entertainment with music from Sharon Shannon & Band, Celaviedmai, The Craicheads, Celtic Youth Orchestra, Biblecode Sunday’s, and AIS. There will also be performances from Maguire O’Shea School of Dance and spoken word artist Leon Dunne, as well as family-friendly workshops run by Irish youth creative programme Junk Kouture, and a great selection of food and drinks stalls.
The Irish Cultural Centre, London Irish Centre, Irish in Britain, Irish Film London and London Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) will also have stalls where those attending can learn about Irish culture and find out about community events in the capital.
Celebrity chef Anna Haugh will be returning to demonstrate how you can create delicious Irish cuisine at home using fresh produce.
The Mayor is encouraging Londoners and visitors to enjoy the very best of Irish arts, performance, food and dance - a true highlight in London’s calendar – and the celebrations aren’t limited to Trafalgar Square with events happening across London all weekend, from busking on the Underground to a St Patrick’s film festival organised by Irish Film London.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “London’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations are a real highlight of our city’s cultural calendar and a symbol of the strength of the relationship between the UK and Ireland.
“London has the largest Irish community in the UK, and for centuries Irish Londoners have made an enormous contribution to the success of our capital city. From running successful businesses and supporting public services, to the huge influence on our arts and cultural scene, Irish Londoners are integral to the fabric of our city.
“I’m delighted that Londoners and visitors will again unite on the streets in honour of this relationship as we celebrate Irish culture and heritage in the heart of our capital, and with events happening across our city there is something for everyone to enjoy.”
Ireland’s Ambassador to the UK, Martin Fraser, said: “In my short time as Ambassador, I have witnessed the strength, cohesion and kinship of the Irish community here in London and across the country. The challenges of the last few years have proved the resilience of our community, but also shown the ways that we have come together in solidarity. This year’s St Patrick’s Day Festival in London will be a fantastic celebration of the love that London has for its Irish Community and that the Irish have for London. I encourage you to participate and look forward to a wonderful Festival.”
Tourism Ireland’s Deputy Head of Great Britain, Judith Cassidy, said: “We’re gearing up for a wonderful St Patrick’s Day Festival in London and can’t wait to celebrate with everyone in Trafalgar Square on the 12th March. Now in its 20th year, the festival is a vibrant celebration of Irish arts, culture, food and community and has become an absolute staple in London’s cultural calendar. This year is particularly exciting, with the launch of our new tourism campaign on St Patrick’s Day, watch this space! We hope the day will give festival-goers a true taste of the island of Ireland’s rich cultural offering, one of the one of the many reasons prospective GB visitors should consider Ireland for their next short break or holiday.”
Head of Arts & Culture at The London Irish Centre, Hannah Pender, said: “The London Irish Centre are delighted to be Programme Partner for the London St Patrick’s Festival 2023 for another year. This special event acknowledges and celebrates the contribution of Irish communities to London, and we are proud to be part of this story. We will be bringing a diverse programme of Irish arts and culture to the iconic Trafalgar Square, and celebrate the creativity and vibrancy of the Irish community in London. We want to thank the Mayor of London and London Authority for working with us. We also want to give a special thanks to the Gallagher Group for their support as Stage Sponsor.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
For more information about the programme of events, please visit: https://www.london.gov.uk/events/st-patricks-festival-2023
Media are invited to apply for accreditation by emailing by 5pm, Thursday 9th March: [email protected]
About Junk Kouture
Junk Kouture is a creative program for youth that promotes the importance of sustainability. Highlighting the fact that what we view as ‘junk’ can be recycled in useful and impactful ways, it challenges young people to create fashion out of materials that are normally thrown away.
The zero-cost programme runs in post-primary schools and is open to students aged 13-18. Junk Kouture was designed to create an inclusive community, educate people about the importance of protecting our planet and promote creativity. Junk Kouture is currently active in schools in UK, Ireland, France, Italy, USA and UAE, with national competitions feeding into a World Final – the most recent of which took place in Abu Dhabi in January 2023.
Founded in Ireland in 2010 by tech entrepreneur, and CEO of Junk Kouture, Troy Armour, the competition has recruited 100,000 participants to date, produced 15,000 distinctive designs, saved 40,000kg of waste from landfill and amazed packed crowds at 60 sold-out arena shows.
Keep up to speed with all things Junk Kouture across social media @junkkouture and online www.junkkouture.com.
About Tourism Ireland
Tourism Ireland is responsible for marketing the island of Ireland overseas as a leading holiday destination. It was established as one of the “six areas of co-operation” under the framework of the Belfast Agreement of Good Friday 1998. Our remit is to increase tourism to the island of Ireland and to support Northern Ireland to realise its tourism potential.
We operate under the auspices of the North South Ministerial Council through the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media in Ireland. We work closely with the two tourist boards on the island, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism NI, and with our partners in the tourism industry at home and abroad in delivering on our remit. Tourism Ireland’s up to 168 staff create world-class marketing programmes in over 21 markets across the world, as well as centrally in Dublin and Coleraine
Tourism is one of our most important sectors. In 2019, we welcomed 11.3 million overseas visitors to the island of Ireland, who spent €5.9/£5.1 billion while here. All of this helped to sustain 325,000 vital jobs in communities across the island in 2019, helping to make Tourism one of the island’s largest indigenous industries.
https://www.tourismireland.com/
About The London Irish Centre
Empowering and enriching lives through Irish community and culture.
The London Irish Centre provides a world-class programme of Irish arts and culture, as well as information, advice, community support, a café-bar and venue spaces.
The LIC has served the Irish community in London since it was first established in 1954 and we continue to offer a range of services to people within the Irish community, some of whom have attended the Centre for many years. Our heritage is important to us, but we are also focused on present and future needs.
Aligned to our core values, the London Irish Centre is sensitive and responsive to the needs of all people, and we want to extend our services to other communities as part of an inclusive, multicultural approach with the aim of building resilient and cohesive neighbourhoods.
https://londonirishcentre.org/