West Suburban Irish kicked off its fourth annual Irish Fest on Friday, Sept. 20, returning to downtown Naperville’s Central Park, 104 E. Benton Ave.
Musical performers and dancers take the stage at the Band Shell
“So we have a whole host of activities going on. So the bandshell is really going to have music and events throughout the entire festival. It will go between Irish bands playing good traditional Irish music, as well as some more modern-day Irish music,” said Chris O’Hara, secretary of the West Suburban Irish.
The McNulty School of Irish Dance, Firefighters Highland Guard of Naperville bagpipers, and the Bentley Academy of Irish Dance are just a few of the additional performers lined up this weekend.
Family-friendly activities at Irish Fest
There are also plenty of family-fun activities for kids.
“So Leprechaun Landing is basically our kids’ area. We want to make sure this is a good, family-friendly event. So we will have pictures with St. Patrick’s, pictures with leprechauns, we will also have games for the kids, crafts for the kids, so all kinds of things for kids to do,” said O’Hara.
Irish food, beverages, and vendors
A sampling of Irish offerings like corned beef from Schmaltz Deli is on the food line-up, along with kid-friendly go-tos like pizza and ice cream. And for the grown-ups, there’s plenty of Irish beer. Guinness, Harp Lager, Smithwick’s, and Krombacher are the choices on tap. Non-alcoholic options include Go Brewing, Gatorade, and soda.
Returning this year are the whiskey-tasting sessions.
“We have two whiskey tastings this year at [3 p.m. and 6 p.m.] tomorrow on Saturday. It will be fabulous tasting. So you’re going to get five tastings, they will be really high-quality whiskeys. Some of them are $200 bottles of whiskey that are hard to find. So if you haven’t bought your tickets already, I would suggest you go online and do that,” said O’Hara.
Saturday’s 3 p.m. session will be a Keeper’s Heart Whiskey tasting and the 6 p.m. session will feature Jameson, Red Breast, Green Spot, and Yellow Spot. Separate tickets are required for the whiskey tasting, but the purchase of the ticket includes two tickets to Irish Fest, where guests can see all the performances and vendors.
“We have some great vendors this year. They will have all kinds of Irish gifts. So sweaters, Irish soda bread, which is awesome, [and] all kinds of various baby gifts. So really a bunch of things,” said O’Hara.
Day two kicks off on Saturday
West Suburban Irish is hoping to see another big crowd on day two of Irish Fest.
“Tomorrow, we’re going to be open on Saturday from [12 p.m.] until 10 p.m. with all kinds of events all day long. It’s looking to be a beautiful, spectacular day. We’re in a nice shaded park. So I would expect the crowds to be great tomorrow,” said O’Hara.
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