Celebrate the spirit of Ireland this weekend at the Alltech Lexington St. Patrick's Day Parade & Festival

[LEXINGTON, Ky.] – The city of Lexington marks its 250th anniversary with a lively celebration of Irish culture this weekend. One of the most beloved community events in Lexington, Kentucky, the annual Alltech Lexington St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival, will kick off the celebration on Saturday, March 15, followed by a concert by Irish festival headliner, Scythian, on Monday, March 17.

Produced by Lexington Parks & Recreation and sponsored by Alltech and the Bluegrass Irish Society, the Alltech Lexington St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival is the city’s longest-running civic event. Alltech has sponsored the parade since the year it was first organized by the Bluegrass Irish Society, which was founded in 1980 to celebrate Irish culture and the country’s connections to Kentucky.

Festivities begin with the traditional “Blessing of the Keg” at 10:15 a.m. at Henry A. Tandy Centennial Plaza (formerly known as Fifth Third Pavilion). The festival — featuring live music, Irish dance performances, food vendors, artisans and more — will be open until 5 p.m., and will include performances by Bluegrass Ceili Academy, Celtic Blue, Draper Family Band, Kentucky United Pipes & Drums, Liam’s Fancy, McTeggart Irish Dancers, Saint Andrew’s Academy Boys Choir and William Sutherland Reid Pipes & Drums.

The parade will take over Main Street starting at 1 p.m. This year’s parade honors Father Norman Fischer as grand marshal, with members of his family and the St. Peter Claver parish marching in his memory.

The celebration culminates on Monday, March 17, with Scythian at Transylvania University. Scythian brings its signature high-energy fusion of Celtic, Eastern European and Appalachian sounds to Lexington for the first time since 2018. Expect a barn-dance-meets-rock-concert experience that has made them a favorite on the global Irish festival circuit. The show starts at 7 p.m.; tickets are $15 at transy.edu/tickets.

For more information about this weekend’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration, visit the official parade and festival website or the City of Lexington’s event page for updates.