Kiwis love the Irish, and with over 600, 000 New Zealanders claiming Irish ancestry, it’s no wonder. Yet there has never been a National Irish Festival in New Zealand, until now...
For the first time, this November, Kiwis and Irish alike, will come together to celebrate everything Irish with a massive four-day celebration, with over sixty events, across three cities, as part of the inaugural NZ Irish Fest.
From the 15th – 18th November, three celebrated songwriters will travel from Ireland to play shows in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch alongside Irish comedians & local musicians. The feature artists are: the iconic Damien Dempsey from Dublin; award winning songwriter Mick Flannery from Cork; songstress Lisa O’Neill from Cavan and Dublin comedian Alan McElroy.
NZ Irish Fest will also see the premiere of four Irish Films in NZ and marks the very first Irish Film Fest. As if musical performances, comedy, film, Irish dancing displays and Gaelic Football showcases weren’t enough of a reason to celebrate, the All Blacks play Ireland in Aviva Stadium, Lansdowne Road in Dublin the same weekend on Sun the 18th of November at 8am (NZ Time).
The festival has been curated by Gerry Paul, an Irish born Kiwi who has lived in Ireland for over 20 years and played with some of the biggest names in Irish music including Sharon Shannon and NZ/Irish band Gráda. While directing the music for the Irish President’s State visit in 2017, Gerry noted the joy when the Irish community united to celebrate Irish culture and what it means to be Irish. He decided it was time for an annual event. He is joined by impresarios Paul Brown (Coastella) and Johnny Gibson (Nostalgia Festival) to deliver the largest Irish celebration New Zealand has seen.
Grab your pint, your dancing shoes, your friends and family and come together to celebrate the best of Irish culture over 4 massive days - the best craic to be had in NZ!
November 2018 will mark the inaugural National Irish Festival with over sixty events, across four days, in three cities. Don’t miss the 2018 NZ Irish Fest!
Tickets to the inaugural 2018 NZ Irish Fest events will go on sale on 21st August 2018. Available through
www.ticketweb.co.nz
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