PORTLAND, Ore.––Feb. 12, 2019––Thousands of locals and visitors will rejoice in their Irish heritage at the 28th annual Kells Irish Festival, the state’s largest Saint Patrick’s Day celebration. This year’s festivities will take place Friday, March 15 through Sunday, March 17 at Kells’ two Portland locations: the original Kells Irish Pub at 112 SW 2nd Ave. and Kells Brewery at 210 NW 21st Ave. The three-day event offers live music, traditional Irish dancing, bagpipers, Irish food, craft beer, and other libations.
HIGHLIGHT EVENTS
The Smoker is a boxing event that pits Golden Glove boxers from Ireland against the best amateur pugilists of the Northwest. The event kicks off the festival on Friday, March 15, in the festival tent at Kells Irish Pub (Downtown). Advanced general admission tickets are separate from the festival cover and cost $30 at Ticket Tomato or at the door.
A new event debuting this year is The Ride for Gold, a bicycle race and scavenger hunt where teams of two riders follow clues around the region to find shamrocks hidden along the course. The ride will take place on Saturday, March 16, beginning at Cathedral Park and finishing at Kells Brewery. Registration and more information will be available soon at OBRA.
Family Day will take place at Kells Irish Pub (Downtown) on Sunday, March 17, and feature arts and crafts, face painting, Irish dancing, and visits with Irish wolfhounds. Attendees can browse Celtic jewelry vendors and learn about Celtic genealogy and history, including meeting and listening to members of the Ancient Order of the Hibernian’s Portland Chapter.
ADMISSION
A limited number of All Festival Wristbands are available now for $30 at the bar of each location. Weekend passes provide admission to both locations (Kells Brewery Northwest and Kells Irish Pub Downtown) March 15 to March 17. All Festival Wristband holders may skip the main line and check in with a valid ID. The All Festival Wristband includes a 2019 T-shirt, while supplies last; Kells recommends picking up the pass on Friday night to ensure a T-shirt. Advance weekend passes are only valid for ages 21 and older. They do not include the Kells Smoker on March 15, which is a separate ticketed event.Kells Irish Pub (Downtown): General admission at the door is cash only and cost varies by day: Friday costs $10 starting at 7pm; Saturday costs $25 starting at 4pm (includes free T-shirt while supplies last); and Sunday costs $10 starting at 12pm ($5 for seniors, students age 21 and over, and veterans with ID). Minors are not allowed in the Pub after 3pm on Friday or any hours on Saturday or Sunday, although they are welcome in the restaurant and ballroom for dining. Minors are welcome in the Festival Tent on Sunday from 9am to 5pm and pay no cover charge.
Kells Brewery (Northwest): General admission at the door is cash only and cost varies by day: Friday costs $5 starting at 8pm, Saturday costs $20 starting at 5pm, and Sunday costs $10 starting at 12pm ($5 for seniors, students age 21 and over, and veterans with ID). Minors are welcome daily until 7pm and pay no cover charge.
ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULEFull schedule posted at the bottom of this release.ABOUT KELLS IRISH FESTIVAL
Gerard and Lucille McAleese established Kells’ Portland location in 1990, and in 1991, they began the tradition of a St. Patrick’s Day Festival that has grown into the largest Irish celebration in the state. As a family owned business, Kells is deeply connected with the community it touches. In advance of the festival, Kells collects, matches and donates all the money – dubbed Irish Magic – on the restaurant’s ceiling to The Center for Medically Fragile Children at Providence Child Center. Kells has donated more than $300,000 over the last 25 years.
ABOUT KELLS
Serving the Northwest since 1983, Kells Irish Restaurant is a local family-run establishment that is consistently voted and ranked among the top Irish pubs in the United States. With locations in Seattle, Portland and San Francisco, it is a touchstone of each community that stays true to its roots. Owners Gerard and Lucille McAleese are also recognized for their generosity to a number of nonprofits and community organizations. For more information, visit www.kellsirish.com.
__________________________________KELLS ST PATRICK’S DAY FESTIVAL ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULEAll times and/or scheduled performers subject to change
FRIDAY, MARCH 15
Kells Irish Pub, 112 SW 2nd Ave (Inside)
5PM: Beltaine
7PM: Grafton Street
9PM: Sami and The Groove
11PM: Coming Up Threes
Kells Irish Pub Festival Tent (Back Parking Lot)
5PM: Dance Hall Days
7PM: Smoker
Kells Brewery, 210 NW 21st Ave (Inside)
6PM: O’Douling
8PM: Beltaine
10PM: Cul an Tí
12AM: Sami and The Groove
SATURDAY, MARCH 16
Kells Irish Pub, 112 SW 2nd Ave (Inside)
2PM: Wil Kinky Band
4PM: Boys of Malin
6PM: O’Douling
8PM: Grafton Street
10PM: Royal Enfield
12AM: Coming Up Threes
Kells Irish Pub Festival Tent (Back Parking Lot)
12PM: An Daire Irish Dance
1:30PM: Kells Pipers
2PM: Grafton Street
3:30PM: Yeates Irish Dance
4:15PM: Kells Pipers
4:30PM: Sami and The Groove
6PM: Murray School of Irish Dancing w/Mike Beglan & Geraldine Murray
6:45PM: Coming Up Threes
9PM: St. James Gate
10:30PM: Sami and the Groove
Kells Brewery, 210 NW 21st Ave (Inside)
1PM: Boys of Malin
3PM: St. James Gate
5PM: Grafton Street
7PM: Royal Enfield
9PM: Wil Kinky Band
11PM DJ Jupiter
Kells Brewery Festival Tent (Parking Lot)
1:30PM: An Daire Irish Dance
3PM: O’Douling
5pm: Yeates Irish Dance
6PM: Kells Pipers
7PM: Wil Kinky Band
9PM: Hans and The Wanted
SUNDAY, MARCH 17
Kells Irish Pub, 112 SW 2nd Ave (Inside)
11AM: O’Douling
1PM: Wil Kinky Band
3PM: Boys of Malin
5PM: Cul an Ti
7PM: St. James Gate
9PM: Royal Enfield
11PM: Grafton Street
Kells Irish Pub Festival Tent (Back Parking Lot)
10AM: Murray Irish Dance
11:30AM: Beltaine
1PM: Kells Pipers
1:15PM: An Daire Irish Dance
2PM: St. James Gate
3:30PM: An Daire Irish Dance
4:30PM: Coming Up Threes
6PM: Kells Pipers
6:15PM: Yeates Irish Dance
7PM: Grafton Street
9PM: Sami and The Groove
Kells Brewery, 210 NW 21st Ave (Inside)
12PM: Boys of Malin
2PM: Beltaine
4PM: Grafton Street
6PM: Sami and The Groove
8PM: O’Douling
10PM: St. James Gate
Kells Brewery Festival Tent (Parking Lot)
12PM: Murray Irish Dance
1PM: Sami and The Groove
2:30PM: Kells Pipers
3PM: O’Douling
4:30PM Kells Pipers
5PM: Yeates Irish Dance
6PM: Royal Enfield
9PM: Austin Randle