Peoria Irish Fest

The last weekend in August every year, the St. Patrick Society of Peoria partners with the Peoria Park District to host the Peoria Irish Fest on the Peoria RiverFront. Over the years, Peoria Irish Fest has grown from a Sunday afternoon picnic to a 3-Day Irish Festival.  Although the venue has changed and the scope of activities and entertainment has grown exponentially since that first picnic, we still provide a time and place for friends and families to join together and share their interest in Irish traditions.

During the three days of the event, attendees can enjoy a variety of musicians from around Peoria, the country, or the world, playing both traditional and more modern Irish music, Irish dancers from a variety of Irish Dance Schools, and learn more about Irish traditions in our Cultural Village.

Also featured during the festival is the Ancient Athletic sporting competition featuring the Sheaf Toss, Caber Toss, Stone Put, Hammer Throw, Braemar Stone/Open Stone—heavyweight for distance and lightweight for distance.  On Saturday, fest guests can participate in the Highland Games; Sunday is a fierce athletic competition.

On Friday, the Happy Hour 5K race will be held along the riverfront. Participants will receive free fest entry and a beverage ticket.

On Sunday, attendees can participate in a Catholic Mass where canned goods are collected for local food pantries.