It’s been a long time since Syracuse has hosted a big Irish-themed party. There was no St. Patrick’s Parade in either 2020 or 2021, and the annual Syracuse Irish Fest was also cancelled last fall.
That changes in September when the Irish fest takes its traditional early fall spot in downtown Syracuse’s Clinton Square. This year’s fest is Friday, Sept. 10 and Saturday, Sept. 11.
As always, it brings traditional Celtic bands together with beer and whiskey, food and merchandise stands.
“I could be wrong, but I think we might have a big crowd,” said Irish Fest chairman Marty Cahill. He said the event typically draws about 10,000 people each night. “People are antsy to get out and do things.”
The fest has had to overcome some challenges this year, of course. A big issue was finding touring bands, especially from Ireland or even Canada, Cahill said.
The fest did manage to snag the Toronto band Enter the Haggis as the headline act both Friday and Saturday. That band has been a frequent performer at past Irish fests.
“It’s been a struggle with Canadian bands, but we did get one,” Cahill aid. “But it’s impossible for the Irish bands to get travel visas, even though the borders are more open.”
That will also mean this year’s fest will have just one stage, in the heart of the square. There won’t be the smaller second stage, usually set up off of Clinton Street to host touring Irish bands.
Other bands booked for the fest are The Public House, The Causeway Giants, The Moxie Strings and the House of Hamill.
To bring a bit of Ireland to the festivities, the fest is planning a “virtual” concert on Wednesday, Sept. 8, Cahill said. That will feature two Irish acts via streaming: Aoife Scott and Caroline Keane & Tom Delany. That show can be viewed at home via a device or at watch parties at such location as Kitty Hoynes Irish Pub in Armory Square.
Much of the rest of the fest will be roughly the same as always, with a Guinness tent serving Irish beers and a sponsorship from Irish whiskey Kilbeggan. Food and merchandise vendors will fill the square.
The fest plans to abide by existing Covid 19 protocols, including the advisory that unvaccinated people should wear masks.
The downtown festival season is rebounding this year after a slow start due to both the pandemic and a significant amount of road construction in early summer.
Early summer events like the Taste of Syracuse and the Polish Fest were cancelled. But the Syracuse Italian Fest (Festa Italiana) is returning to its spot near City Hall Sept., 17 to 19.
And a weekly series called Party in the Square has taken over Clinton Square each Wednesday since July 7 and will run through Sept. 29.
In 2020, the cancelled Irish fest turned into a series of small events at local pubs. Cahill said he’s looking forward to hosting a more traditional big event this year.
“We’re excited to actually have the fest,” he said. “With a little help from Mother Nature, I think we can have a really successful year.”
Enter the Haggis performs at the 20th annual Irish Fest in downtown Syracuse in 2019. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)Charlie Miller
Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.