Everything in place for a berry good festival!
A sense of anticipation filled the air in Treacy’s D-Bar last week as this year’s Strawberry Fair, Street Rhythms and Roots Festival had it’s official launch. This year’s festival takes place over the June bank holiday weekend and features a feast of food, music and dance to entertain the whole family.
Adding to the excitement on the night, was the first official appearance of this year’s 11 Strawberry Princesses who will be competing to take the crown of Strawberry Queen from the outgoing Megan O’Shea, who was only to happy to share some hints and tips with this year’s group.
Festival Chairman Jimmy Gahan welcomed all of the assembled guests on the night and thanked the three hard-working committees who have combined to create one great festival which they hope will be among the most memorable yet.
The theme of this year’s festival is love and it will see renowned Lisdoonvarna Matchmaker Willie Daly in attendance over the course of the weekend. You’ll also feel the love as the Street Rhythms crew along with the Rathnure Panto group bring a fairytale to life in the form of Belle & the Beast at Enniscorthy Castle.
Over 30 venues will play a part in this year’s festival, with roots gigs taking place throughout the town as well as a feast of live music on the main stage in Market Square including The Gentlemen Callers, JMA and the legendary Natty Wailer & The Reggae Vibes.
District Manager Liz Hore congratulated the committees on all their hard work before Chairman of Enniscorthy Municipal District Cllr Keith Doyle was called upon to officially launch the festival. While concerns had been expressed for the future of the festival in the build-up to last year’s 50th Strawberry Fair, the message being sent out from D-Bar seemed to be that it’s here to stay for a long time. For full details of this year’s festival line-up, please pick up a copy of the festival brochure from the Municipal Office in Market Square or check out the Strawberry Festival Facebook page.