Naperville Irish Fest is bringing the spirit of the Emerald Isle to town for its sixth year.
Irish culture at home
The annual event, held Sept. 18 and 19 by West Suburban Irish in Central Park, includes performances and vendors serving up traditional dishes and handmade goods.
The festivities even bring Irish folklore to life, with a Leprechaun Guild helping to brighten the day by handing out candy in some colorful costumes.
“It’s just a really fun time. You’ll get to see a lot of new stuff, you’ll meet a lot of cool people,” Daniel Vifquain, Leprechaun Guild member, said. “There are some guys from Ireland in the tents. They’re really fun to talk to. You can try some new food, just fun stuff.”
A trio of Irish dancers performs on stage at the Naperville Irish Fest Sept. 18.
Celebrating heritage
For some, that fun includes recognizing the deep roots Irish culture has in the Chicagoland area.
“It was a lot of immigration that came here, and so it’s always fun to celebrate,” said Chris O’Hara, co-chair of the Naperville Irish Fest. “And then of course, there’s always people who aren’t necessarily Irish but really just want to celebrate Irish too. So people of all kinds will come to our festival.”
Organizers said it’s a special thing to be able to connect their community with their Irish heritage.
“We have an entire Irish culture tent that has a variety of things in it, which includes all kinds of banners about the relationship between Ireland and America in the last 250 years,” O’Hara said. “We also will have Irish language folks here. So if you want to learn a few words of Irish Gaelic, you can certainly do that.”
Shamrocks & smiles
There’s one lesson O’Hara hopes attendees take home above all.
“What we really hope people take away is, Irish like to have fun despite whatever weather might come,” O’Hara said. “You’ll learn about dancing, you’ll have a good time, and you’ll see how Irish people just love to have fun.”
Naperville Irish Fest’s ‘St. Patrick’ speaks with an attendee Sept. 18. His presence is a festival tradition.
More to see & do
The fest’s second day, Sept. 19, will kick off at noon with a performance by the Firefighters Highland Guard of Naperville, an ensemble playing traditional Irish and Scottish sounds while honoring first responders.
For attendees 21 and older, an Irish Whiskey tasting will take place at Quigley’s Irish Pub, 43 East Jefferson Avenue, at 2 p.m.
West Suburban Irish has also planned a post-fest gathering at Quigley’s on Sept. 20, complete with music from band ‘Small Batch’ at 2 p.m.
The weekend’s full lineup can be found on the West Suburban Irish website. Fest hours on Saturday are noon to 10 p.m. Tickets are $15 for one person and $25 for two people, with kids 12 and under admitted for free.
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