Buffalo, NY (WBEN) Riverfest Park will feel a bit greener as the Buffalo Irish Festival takes place Saturday and Sunday.
"A little bit of St. Patrick's Day at the end of July, but much better weather," says festival chairman Tim Flanagan. He says there will be plenty of entertainment, with bands like the Prodigals and the Fenians coming in from around the country. But culture is big this year. "This year we really upped our game with our cultural tent and some of the offerings there. So if anyone wants to learn how to do some traditional Irish set dancing. There's going to be free classes both Saturday and Sunday going on for that. We have Tim Herzog talking about the tradition of Irish brewing. So if you want to know how Irish beer is made, he's going to go through that. A couple of free samples as well. We also have some great speakers talking about the history of the Irish here in Western New York and the contributions they've made to our region," says Flanagan.
Since no festival is complete without food, the Buffalo Irish Center kitchen is providing food. "There's going to be some corned beef and salt potatoes and all that good stuff that anyone would expect for Irish fare. We also mixed in some great chicken wings and chicken fingers, but one of the new highlights this year is a Reuben Crunch roll," says Flanagan. "Think of a great Reuben, and you take that Reuben sandwich and put it into an egg roll, and that's your Reuben Crunch roll. So we have those this year, and they're a hot seller at the Irish Center every week"
Flangan adds he's proud to have a partnership this year with Irish Classical Theater. "On Sunday at 12:45, they're going to be doing a dramatic reading from their play *Ghosts* So, if people want to get a little bit of preview about that upcoming play from the Irish Classical Theater, stop by. It's free. It's in our cultural pavilion in the Tewksbury Lodge, on the property of Riverfest Park," adds Flanagan.
He says it's important to honor Irish history in WNY. "We're an important part of this community in the fabric of Buffalo. The Irish are one of the large groups who originally kind of settled here and formed this great community, and we've made a lot of contributions. But the biggest thing I I think we contributed that very friendly, very welcoming, and we like to share our story and our history and our culture with everyone else," explains Flanagan. "When you look at St. Patrick's Day in in Buffalo, everybody's out there celebrating, and there are many people who are not Irish. You think all of Buffalo, Western New York, was Irish on St. Patrick's Day, so we know people really do like sharing in our traditions, and I think that's something very unique to the Irish culture is that we love throwing a great party, and we love having all our friends and neighbors come and enjoy that, and for us, it's it's always a lot of fun."
The festival runs Saturday from 11am to 10pm and Sunday from 11:30am - 6:00pm. Admission is $10 each day.
"A little bit of St. Patrick's Day at the end of July, but much better weather."
"A little bit of St. Patrick's Day at the end of July, but much better weather."
