Irish Festival Village returns to Manchester with live music, fry-up pizzas and loads of Guinness

A huge Irish Festival Village has returned to Manchester city centre today to kick off the St Patrick’s Day celebrations.

Over the coming 10 days, there’ll be live Irish music, street food, retail stalls and – of course – plenty of Guinness flowing.

The main event is now open at St Ann’s Square, where a gigantic marquee festooned in green, white and orange has been installed.

Inside here, the bar is being run by the O’Shea’s team, and the stage will host loads of live music and great craic.

Outside you’ll find Birchwood Pizza, who have got a menu of pizzas inspired by the Emerald Isle.

Pizzas include the What’s the Craic (a fry-up pizza with white pudding and Dubliner sausage) to The Black Stuff (black pudding, rosemary potato and streaky pudding).

The Irish Festival Village has opened as part of the wider Manchester Irish Festival celebrations across Greater Manchester.

There’ll also be a Saint Patrick’s Day parade on Sunday 16 March, which will weave its way from the Irish World Heritage Centre all the way onto Deansgate.

The parade will showcase and champion local groups and organisations such as GAA clubs, Irish dance classes, marching bands, and pipe bands, along with a strong representation of the 32 counties in Ireland.

And it handily winds up around King Street, just beside the Irish Festival Village.

The gathering spot will be open from Friday 7 March all the way through to St Patrick’s Day itself – find out more HERE.

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Featured image: The Manc Group