Irish Festival in Balboa Park
The Festival is held in conjunction with the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and is for the entire family. There will be Live entertainment on the Festival’s 2 stages and will include well known folk singers and groups.
The Festival area will open at 9:00 a.m. with food and craft booths as well as two beer gardens serving ice cold Guinness (our presenting Sponsor) and other beers, wine and Spirits. There is also an authentic Celtic Village and Kids Zone with Rides. Free Admission. The Festival and its entertainment are free to the public.
Click here for the complete Parade and Festival Schedule.
Celtic Village. At the corner of Sixth and Quince, visitors will find a Celtic Village where it is the year 1582, and a troupe of renaissance re-enactors portray the daily drama of the soldiers of House McFionn, explaining their history as they do. Kids and adults alike will be amazed by authentic fighting demonstrations as well as Irish dance, song, crafts, and story-telling.
Kids Zone. The Festival also offers an entire Kids Zone full of games, rides, llamas, face-painting, and other fun.
Live Entertainment. Festival entertainment starts off with a great presentation with the bagpipes and drums of the San Diego Firefighters Emerald Society and the live entertainment continues on two stages with a line-up of outstanding entertainers. Over the years we have had such greats as Brian Baynes; recording artist Tony Cummins, whose pub acts are legendary; Brehon Law, an “in your face” Irish folk rock trio from Carlsbad; the Shamrockers, San Diego's’s favorite Irish band with a “classic rock problem,” original Celtic-style music from San Diego-based Sheela-na-Gig; and Celtic vocal talents Heloise Love & Richard Gordon; Harold and Gabe, and the Rythum Ranchers.
Kids Zone. The Festival also offers an entire Kids Zone full of games, rides, llamas, face-painting, and other fun.
Live Entertainment. Festival entertainment starts off with a great presentation with the bagpipes and drums of the San Diego Firefighters Emerald Society and the live entertainment continues on two stages with a line-up of outstanding entertainers. Over the years we have had such greats as Brian Baynes; recording artist Tony Cummins, whose pub acts are legendary; Brehon Law, an “in your face” Irish folk rock trio from Carlsbad; the Shamrockers, San Diego's’s favorite Irish band with a “classic rock problem,” original Celtic-style music from San Diego-based Sheela-na-Gig; and Celtic vocal talents Heloise Love & Richard Gordon; Harold and Gabe, and the Rythum Ranchers.
Parade and Festival Schedule
09:00 am Irish Festival and Beer Gardens open
09:45 am Flag presentation ceremony, Sixth and Juniper
10:30 am Parade starts - up Fifth Ave from Laurel to Upas, then back down Sixth Avenue to Laurel/El Prado
Main Stage Entertainment
01:00 pm SD Firefighters Emerald ociety PIPES &DRUMS open the Festival Entertainment
01:15 pm Tony Cummins with Jerry McMorrow
02:15 pm Tim Foley Band and Random Folk
03:15 pm Eamon Carroll with George Rubsamen and Paul Dunn
04:14 pm Shamrockers
North Stage Entertainment
12:45 pm Country Rockin' Rebels
Up from a dusty California horizon, rise the Country Rockin' Rebels. The Rebels mix old school lyrical charm with hot guitars and a solid rhythm section. They are a musical journey that tears through the history of country, blues and rock ‘n roll mixing classic covers with solid, endearing original material. They are indeed as their motto states: “Too rock for country and too country for rock.” http://facebook.com/countryrockinrebels
2:00 - 2:50pm Lexington Field
Lexington Field is an American Fiddle Rock band from San Diego, CA. Formed in 2009, they have played hundreds of shows across the United States. These San Diego Fiddle Rockers have shared the stage with awesome bands such as the Young Dubliners, Old Man Markley, The Mahones, The Tossers, Hoist The Colors, The Ramshackle Army, The Fisticuffs, The Langer's Ball, Hounds of Finn, Brick Top Blaggers, and many more acts across the country!Along with their high energy live show, they give their fans an amazing musical experience!
3:15 - 4:05pm Bill Cardinal and his Canyon Band
San Diego's hottest country and western outfit; promoting California country music with those classic hits as well as sizzling originals. The look on the faces in the crowd after an exciting set is a testament to their mastery of the craft of honky-tonkin'.
4:30 - 5:30pm Shawn Rolf
Shawn works out of San Diego as a musician, actor, producer and teacher of guitar, banjo, bass and mandolin. His Americana band, The 7th Day Buskers took shape in 2001 as a result of busking at the Hillcrest Farmers Market. The band has received several nominations in the San Diego Music Awards winning “Best Americana Band” in 2004 and we’re the featured band for the San Diego Symphony’s Summer Pops 4th of July weekend conducted by the legendary Marvin Hamlisch.
09:00 am Irish Festival and Beer Gardens open
09:45 am Flag presentation ceremony, Sixth and Juniper
10:30 am Parade starts - up Fifth Ave from Laurel to Upas, then back down Sixth Avenue to Laurel/El Prado
Main Stage Entertainment
01:00 pm SD Firefighters Emerald ociety PIPES &DRUMS open the Festival Entertainment
01:15 pm Tony Cummins with Jerry McMorrow
02:15 pm Tim Foley Band and Random Folk
03:15 pm Eamon Carroll with George Rubsamen and Paul Dunn
04:14 pm Shamrockers
North Stage Entertainment
12:45 pm Country Rockin' Rebels
Up from a dusty California horizon, rise the Country Rockin' Rebels. The Rebels mix old school lyrical charm with hot guitars and a solid rhythm section. They are a musical journey that tears through the history of country, blues and rock ‘n roll mixing classic covers with solid, endearing original material. They are indeed as their motto states: “Too rock for country and too country for rock.” http://facebook.com/countryrockinrebels
2:00 - 2:50pm Lexington Field
Lexington Field is an American Fiddle Rock band from San Diego, CA. Formed in 2009, they have played hundreds of shows across the United States. These San Diego Fiddle Rockers have shared the stage with awesome bands such as the Young Dubliners, Old Man Markley, The Mahones, The Tossers, Hoist The Colors, The Ramshackle Army, The Fisticuffs, The Langer's Ball, Hounds of Finn, Brick Top Blaggers, and many more acts across the country!Along with their high energy live show, they give their fans an amazing musical experience!
3:15 - 4:05pm Bill Cardinal and his Canyon Band
San Diego's hottest country and western outfit; promoting California country music with those classic hits as well as sizzling originals. The look on the faces in the crowd after an exciting set is a testament to their mastery of the craft of honky-tonkin'.
4:30 - 5:30pm Shawn Rolf
Shawn works out of San Diego as a musician, actor, producer and teacher of guitar, banjo, bass and mandolin. His Americana band, The 7th Day Buskers took shape in 2001 as a result of busking at the Hillcrest Farmers Market. The band has received several nominations in the San Diego Music Awards winning “Best Americana Band” in 2004 and we’re the featured band for the San Diego Symphony’s Summer Pops 4th of July weekend conducted by the legendary Marvin Hamlisch.
Join the Fun at the family Irish Festival
Click photos to enlarge.
