St Patrick’s Festival 2025

Programmed by The London Irish Centre, this year’s line-up will be filled with an exciting mix of traditional and contemporary performances from Ireland and London.
Times are to be confirmed.

• Welcome by host Tara MC
• Ruairi Glasheen
• ICC Music School
• Angela O'Connor School of Dance
• Big Irish Language Lesson
• Dogs
• Jig & Swig
• London Irish Community Voices Choir
• Irish Women in Harmony
• The Peppered Aces
• Kila

New to the square this year, Irish Creative Collective are bringing their sessions to the square with a great line up of comedy, spoken word, music and Irish Film and TV film shorts.  The tent will be filled with laughter and song – not to be missed. 

Comedians include, Ruby Kearney, Megan Ita O'Rourke, Caroline Kane, Ciara Barnes, Mark T. Cox, Dane Buckley, Leigh Douglas.

Music from Blandid, Cormac Todd, Sean Finch, Gareth Freiheit, Senna O’Hara, TooWawl.

Film shorts presented by London Irish Film & TV.

Take part in free, fun Irish dance workshops run by renowned London Irish dance schools Maguire O’Shea Academy and Angela O’Connor Dance Academy.

Take your pick from ceili, Riverdance or beginner’s Irish dance.

These free drop-in workshops will take place throughout the day.

We’ve teamed up with the Embassy of Ireland to bring you ‘Peace Heroines’, a vibrant and celebratory exhibition of work by contemporary artist Friz who was invited to create a series of portraits, which would capture the dynamism, bravery and legacy of the remarkable female peace activists of Northern Ireland.

Each portrait captures the essence and spirit of these women, depicting their strength, resilience, and unwavering commitment to peace. Each portrait is accompanied by a contextual note on how these women engaged with Northern Ireland’s socio-political climate during this transformative period.

This set of portraits has been reproduced by the Embassy of Ireland from digital photos of the artist’s original works, which first hung in the Northern Ireland Assembly, Stormont and then went on to tour Ireland and Great Britain.

Pall Mall East will be awash with arts and crafts activities for all the family. Celebrating St Patrick’s Day, a friendly team of creatives from Artburst will guide families through the free drop-in workshops throughout the day where you can:

• make a shamrock treasure pot to grow your own plant at home
• weave a funky headband to wear during the festival
• help create St Patrick’s Day themed bunting to hang in the marquee
• add your own piece of art to the giant St Patrick’s Day mural. 

In line with this year’s theme, ‘Sustainability and Greening London,’ all materials and crafts will be made from reused and recycled materials.

Back for another year our Community Advisory Group and The Embassy of Ireland have lined up four Irish poets who you can hear sharing their words throughout Charing Cross Underground Station and Hammersmith Station on the same day as our event. 

Listen out for:

• Tumi Salu
• John Hurley
• Shakira Newton
• Paul Dalton

Coming all the way from Ireland for all to enjoy, this interactive working depiction of a traditional Irish Cottage from the last century is here in all its glory. Step inside and step back in time. 

Sponsored by SISK.

• Click Retail
• Trinity Hampers
• The London Irish Centre
• Conrah na Gaeilge I Londain
• Irish in Britain
• Irish Film and TV Ltd
• London GAA

• Chick N Sours
• Churros Garcia
• Clonakilty Blackpudding
• Howe and Co Fish and Chips
• Kelly Cornish Ice Cream
• The Wee Sisters (Celebrity chef Anna Haugh) 
• You Bao

We are pleased to welcome Polar Events who will be providing us with the bar again this year.

We will do our best to make sure you feel welcome and enjoy our event. Our event staff and volunteers are here to help with any questions you might have. 

When you arrive, our stewards and Team London volunteers will greet you. Our Team London volunteers will be wearing purple high-visibility jackets and are ready to answer any questions. There will also be clear signs to help guide you around the event. Please note, we will conduct a bag search at the entrance for everyone attending. 

The event has a level access entrance, and it is wheelchair accessible.  All paths are accessible for wheelchair users and there is a lift that connects the North Terrace to the Main Square. Stewards will be there to help you find your way. Assistance dogs are welcome too. 

The festival can get busy. If being in crowds is difficult for you, you can use our accessible viewing area. It is located on the north terrace of Trafalgar Square. This area has hearing loop facilities for the performances on the main stage, and chairs are available for companions and anyone who needs to sit. 

All shows with speech on the main stage will have a British Sign Language interpreter. You can see this on the screen on the right side of the main stage. 

The event may be loud at times due to music and performances. If you need ear defenders, you can ask for them at our information point or speak to a volunteer for help. 

The event is relaxed. You can join or leave at any time and move around as you like. You do not need to be quiet. 

In addition to toilets, we will also have Mobiloo accessible toilet at the event. This toilet has a hoist and a changing table. If you need to use the hoist, please bring your own sling for safety and convenience. You can find more information on Mobiloo’s website.

If you need any help on the day with more information about the event, just ask one of our stewards or volunteers, and they will be happy to assist you. 

Trafalgar Square is easy to reach by public transport, including buses, the Tube, and national rail services. 

Tube

The nearest Underground station with step-free access from platform to street level is Westminster Station, which is served by the Jubilee, District, and Circle lines. 

From Westminster Station, it’s about a 10-minute walk to Trafalgar Square. 

Charing Cross Underground Station is the closest Tube station and is served by the Northern and Bakerloo lines. However, this station does not have step-free access. 

Bus

Bus routes that stop close to Trafalgar Square include: 

Routes 3, 6, 9, 11, 12, 15, 23, 87, 88, 91, 139, and 176, with most buses having wheelchair access. 

For accessible travel options, including step-free routes and Dial-A-Ride services, you can visit the TfL (Transport for London) website for maps and to plan your journey: tfl.gov.uk. 

National Rail

The nearest railway station is Charing Cross. It is 325 metres away, approximately 3 minutes’ walk.

Charing Cross rail station offers step-free access and a step-free route to Trafalgar Square. 

Accessible parking

The surrounding area on Trafalgar Square can get very busy on the day of the event, so we recommend you take public transport if you're visiting the event. If you’re unable to take public transport for accessibility reasons, accessible parking is available near Trafalgar Square. 

There are Blue Badge parking spaces on St Martin’s Street, located next to the National Gallery. Please be aware that these spaces are around 250 metres from the National Gallery. There are three designated Blue Badge parking bays available here. 

For more information on parking, you can contact the Westminster Parking Information Service on 020 7823 4567. The helpline is open Monday to Saturday, from 8am to 8pm. To find other blue badge parking bays nearby, you can find disabled Blue Badge bays on the City of Westminster’s website using the postcode WC2N 5DN.