Create
St. Pete, Tampa to ‘go green’ for St. Patrick’s weekend
Bagpipers, step dancers and good old Irish singalongs are on the stage menu for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in both St. Petersburg and Tampa, but hands down, the award for best band name goes to the Celtic pranksters who named their outfit Paddy O’Furniture.
Based in Pinellas County, the band (featuring fiddle, pipes, banjo and bouzouki, among other instruments) is performing in Tampa’s Curtis Hixon Park Saturday, for the annual River O’Green Festival.
As ‘tis every St. Paddy’s weekend, the Hillsborough River, which flows directly behind the park (600 N. Ashley Drive), will be dyed emerald green for the occasion. (Note: It’s non-toxic, “eco-friendly” coloring.)
Along with the aforementioned O’Furniture boys, entertainment for the 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. family-friendly event will be provided by Irish Buskers, George Pennington & The Odyssey, Finnegan Irish Dance Academy dancers, Phoenix Five and more.
Other activities include a pet costume contest, an art walk, a cabbage tossing game and a Lucky Charms eating contest
The annual Tampa Rough Riders (1st US Volunteer Cavalry Regiment) St. Patrick’s Day parade through downtown Tampa begins at 3 p.m.
Admission is free. Visit the River O’Green Festival website for additional info.
The view from the Williams Park bandshell stage, Paddy Fest 2023. Photo provided.
On the Pinellas side, St. Petersburg’s 3rd annual Paddy Fest takes place Saturday in Williams Park downtown (1st Avenue N. and 3rd Street). Although Paddy Fest was a two-day event in 2024, this time around everything happens in a single day, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Paddy Fest tickets ($10 for age 14 and over) are available here. Age 13 and under are admitted free.
A portion of the proceeds will go to the waterway habit restoration charity Ocean Aid 360.
Entertainers include the Midnight Rovers (Colin Gower and Steve Cary), John Kelly & Sons, the City of Dunedin Pipe Band, Brendan Nolan, St. Pete Irish Dance and others.
A Kids Zone with bounce house, face painting and other activities will be open from 12-4 p.m., the Tampa Bay Rowdies will conduct a soccer clinic from 1 to 3, and what’s looking like the main event – Leprechaun Wrestling! – is scheduled for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
The St. Petersburg event was conceived and produced by City Council candidate Peter M. Boland, through his PMB events company.
“It’s such a wonderful time in St. Pete, the weather’s amazing, it’s spring break,” Boland told the Catalyst in 2024. “I look at St. Patrick’s Day like Thanksgiving. It’s really about family, food, friends and fun.”
Along with the requisite food trucks, both events will sell beer – even the green variety. It just wouldn’t be a St. Patrick’s Day celebration otherwise.
