THE EXTRAORDINARY WORLD OF ST. PATRICK’S FESTIVAL PARADE 2010

Streets of Dublin come alive on St. Patrick’s Day

Wednesday 17th March, Dublin, Ireland

March 2010

Our national celebration, St. Patrick’s Day is one of the highlights of the year for the Irish and those who wish they were Irish! And all the Irish eyes will be looking at the world famous St. Patrick’s Festival Parade, taking place on Wednesday 17th March through Dublin city centre.

Our national day has become a worldwide celebration in many major cities across the globe and no more so than in our capital city. Wednesday 17th March will see the streets of Dublin transformed with the thousands of performers, characters and spectators that will take part in the greatest St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the world.

The theme for this year’s Festival Parade is ‘The Extraordinary World’ which has been interpreted by many street theatre pageant companies and will see an estimated 3,000 performers take to our streets. Uniquely commissioned and original pageants, performers and marching bands from all corners of the globe will wow some 650,000 people that are expected to line the 3km route, not forgetting the many millions more who will tune into the RTE 1 TV broadcast and the live RTE web-stream.

Providing live commentary along the parade route is sports presenter, Des Cahill and presenting the Festival Parade live on RTE 1 is Blбthnaid Nн Chofaigh and Aidan Power.

Leading the parade as Grand Marshal this year will be International Soccer legend, Packie Bonner who is recognised as one of the finest contributors to Irish sporting history. Packie made his international debut on his 21st birthday in 1981 against Poland and went on to write his name into Irish football history on many occasions over the next 13 years and became first choice for Ireland winning 80 caps.

As Grand Marshal, Packie will begin his honorary duties on the day with a VIP celebratory breakfast in The Marks and Spencer’s Rooftop Restaurant on Grafton Street. From there he will be chauffeur-driven to the start of the Parade on Parnell Square to begin the journey through the heaving city streets. Once he has travelled the 3 km route he will finish up his day as the guest of honour at an official VIP lunch.

Eight pageant groups from Ireland and beyond will make up this year’s Festival Parade, which will wow some 650,000 people, each featuring their individual interpretations of ‘The Extraordinary World’ theme, transforming our capital’s streets into a kaleidoscope of colour. Festival sponsor, Irish League of Credit Unions, will bring Gulliver’s Travels alive with their pageant Lilliput. Spectators will be greeted by Gigantic Gulliver who awakens to find himself in Lilliput surrounded by performers wearing blue and white flower backpacks to reflect the Credit Union’s identity. Also part of the performance will be 50 energetic drummers and dancers representing the 50 years of Credit Unions in Ireland.

Kildare pageant company Artastic will transport you into a Topsy Turvy World of strangely magical creatures such as talking cats in bowlers hats, candyfloss mops and life-sized dolls.

The Cats Pyjamas based in the West of Ireland, which is run by brothers Peter and Conor Casteby, has been working with the Early School Completion Programme run by Dublin VEC to present their chaotic and imaginative extraordinary world.

Wexford group, Buн Bolg have taken their ordinary world of housework and golf and made it a weird and wacky extraordinary world of giant guinea pigs, polar bears and a lion ringmaster.

Also taking part in the Festival Parade for their fourth year is City Fusion which celebrates the diversity of Dublin City’s cultural landscape. Produced by St. Patrick’s Festival with the support of Dublin City Council, 90 individuals from as far and wide as Belarus to Tanzania will come together as one body to shine a light on The Shadows of Colour. Spraoi from the South East of the country have created their Eggstraordinary World with the help of a dedicated team of 300 volunteers from Waterford and beyond who helped design the giant chicken and eggs that will make up this pageant challenged by a group of chefs.

Celtic Mela by Inishowen Carnival Group will delve into the vibrancy of cultures in Ireland today. This pageant features a myriad of flowing back packs, hand painted silk flags, large props and puppet heads, with a vibrant mix of colour, music and imagery from Celtic, Indian and African cultures and featuring over one hundred performers from arts and cultural groups from across North East Donegal.

Also from Donegal, LUXe with their Isadora presentation will attempt to achieve utopian heights. The “Babel Tower Travellers” will draw you into a world of decorative Gypsy iconography, colour, music and symbolism.

Year on year the Festival Parade attracts performance groups from all over the world and this year will include a Mediterranean flavour. Spanish street theatre company, Sarruga, who are renowned for their giant sculptures inspired by mythical creatures, will be part of St. Patrick’s Festival Parade. Their giant insect, ten times the size of humans are primarily made of and decorated with painted heavy duty wrapping paper and acquire a spectacular beauty when illuminated from within or externally.

International marching bands will join the parade from as far a field as India, North Carolina, Louisiana, Bulgaria, Austria, France, Spain and the UK, while representing the Irish marching bands will be the Clondalkin Youth band. Not breaking with tradition, the Parade Ceremonial Section will be led by the Army No.1 Band, the Band of An Garda Sнochбna and Dublin Fire Brigade of Pipes and Drums.

Each year St. Patrick’s Festival Parade is an opportunity to celebrate our culture and heritage on the most prominent national day. This year Ireland will continue to lead the way with an unforgettable parade and national celebration transporting you to ‘The Extraordinary World’!

ENDS

For more information, images and interviews please contact:

Alison Kelly / Paula Donaghy

              086 1955 722         086 1955 722

alison@insightconsultants.ie / paula@insightconsultants.ie / press@stpatricksfestival.ie