St. Patrick’s Day festivities will once again be greening up downtown as the Gaslamp presents sham Rock on Friday, March 17, while the Irish Congress of Southern California throws the 26th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, marching through Banker’s Hill on Saturday, March 11.
The sham Rock will feature DJ Dan and the Fenians as headliners for the green-carpeted shindig presented by The Field. With two stages, six live bands, a DJ stage and go-go girls,
The main gate is located at Sixth Avenue and G Street. Tickets are $20, and can be purchased at The Field at 544 Fifth Avenue, Hub Market and Deli at 748 Sixth Avenue, or by calling (619) 233-5008. Additional music will be provided by The Shamrockers, Crossroads, the Downs Family, Skelpin, NRG, and DJ Mac. Free shuttles home will be provided by The Rock. This event is open to those age 21 and older.
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be preceded by a Pre-Parade Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary, at 1629 Columbia Street in Little Italy at 7:30 a.m. Meanwhile, the parade itself will begin at 6th Avenue and Juniper at 11 a.m., with many participants and judging in a variety of categories. The route goes north up 5th Avenue to Upas, then south along 6th Avenue to El Prado, culminating in the festival area on the corner of 6th and Laurel Street.
The festival begins at 1 p.m. and features a kids zone, music stage, traditional Irish dancers, Celtic village and a beer garden. The SD Firefighters Emerald Society will stage a dramatic opening with pipes and drums. Tram service will be provided from the Inspiration Point parking lot on Park Boulevard to Sefton Plaza at the intersection of Balboa Drive and El Prado. It will run from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., dropping off and picking up every 15 minutes.
For more information on the parade, contact the Irish Congress of Southern California at (858) 268-9111 or log on to www.stpatsparade.org.