St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Seoul to last 2 days
The annual St. Patrick’s Day celebrations put on by the Irish Association of Korea (IAK) are back in full swing this year.
This follows last year’s successful event, which gathered a large crowd at D-Cube Plaza outside southwestern Seoul’s Sindorim Station. What’s different this year is that everything is bigger: the biggest entertainment lineup in years, the biggest raffle in years and the biggest program in years, according to organizers.
Notably, the raffle will include two round-trip tickets to Ireland, courtesy of sponsor Etihad Airways. Other notable sponsors include the Conrad Seoul hotel, McConnell’s Irish Whiskey, Guinness and Cushendale Woollen Mills. The event is also sponsored by the Embassy of Ireland, Seoul Gaels Gaelic football club and Concern Worldwide, Ireland’s largest aid and humanitarian organization, among others.
Once again the festivities return to the outdoor area next to D Cube Plaza, which has been a memorable venue for the event throughout most of its history being held in Korea. The family-friendly venue provides ample amounts of seating, all of which provide a good view of the stage.
The Paddy’s in the Plaza event takes place from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 16. There will be costume competitions, face painting and eight live performances. This includes Boss Hagwon, Honey Jam Sam, Spartan Brass, Ancestrul Rust, Seoul Shamrock and Rae Bae, as well as traditional Irish dance performances featuring step and set dancing.
That night, the Paddy’s Pub Parade starts at 8 p.m. and runs late, with five venues around the Itaewon and Haebangchon area participating this year. This includes The Craic House, Shenanigans, Rabbithole Arcade Pub, Social Haven and Phillies. A total of 20 live music performances are scheduled, and 10,000 won provides entry to all venues.
On Sunday, the actual day of St. Patrick, The Craic House in Itaewon will host the Paddy’s Taste of Ireland, starting at 2 p.m. This will include live music all day, featuring pub classics, old-time music and a traditional music session. Proper Irish food and drink will be served.
“The craic is most certainly back and we hope you can come along and bring your families, friends and everyone in between to celebrate Paddy’s with us, Ireland’s biggest weekend of the year,” organizers at the IAK said in an online invitation.
Visit fb.com/irishassociationofkorea or follow @irishassockorea on Instagram for more information and updates.