The Wailin Banshees who will be headlining the stage in Butcher Street.
THE countdown to the St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Strabane featuring a whole host of activities for everyone with a strong focus on music, dance and celebration. The main attraction of the event will be the St Patrick’s Day carnival parade which will take place in the town centre from 2-3pm. The parade will depart from the Canal Basin moving on to Railway Road, Lower Main Street, Main Street, and Back Street/Market Street into Abercorn Square, John Wesley Street, Main Street and finishing back at Canal Basin.
The key focus of the event will be on families with a strong emphasis on celebrating Irish culture through the medium of the Irish language, music and dance. There will also be a strong multi cultural aspect to the celebrations also. In addition to the carnival parade, Butcher Street carpark will be the hive of the activity with Waillin Banshees and Off the Rails performing alongside a range of local musicians and performers throughout the town. The fun will feature children’s entertainment, street artists, face painting all from 2-5pm. There will be lots of activities to keep the children entertained within the Multi-cultural area, where each participating group will showcase different aspects of their culture through food, dance crafts and music from around the world.
There will also be a designated Irish quarter including a pop-up Gaeltacht in the town centre where families can come along and explore Irish culture, folklore and music first hand. Face painters and balloon modellers will be there for the kids and there will be live music performances and music lessons, as well as animation featuring walkabout characters. One of the highlights of the event
will be the Traditions Meet dance showcase event where various cultures will collide for a colourful display of Bollywood, Hip Hop and much more in Castle Place. The Alley Theatre will also be bustling with activity throughout the day offering an exciting range of fun family friendly activities for everyone to enjoy, including children’s karaoke, balloon modelling traditional music and facepainting plus there will be hearty bowls of Irish stew on offer.
That evening enjoy the amazing comedy ‘Tom Dick & Harry’ at the Strabane Drama festival. It’s hoped that the fun will continue well into the evening as local pubs and restaurants enhance the
experience with live music and entertainment. For more info on the events scheduled for St Patrick’s Day visit www.derrystrabane.com/stpatricksdaystrabane. Details of traffic and travel on the day will also be available in the run up to the event For more info on the event follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/whatsonderrystrabane and Twitter @WhatsOnDS.
SPONSORED CONTENT BY: DERRY CITY AND STRABANE DISTRICT COUNCIL