With a city named Dublin, even if it's in California, it seems like the perfect place for a St. Patrick's Day Festival. I love all things Irish, so when we happened to be passing by on the way to somewhere else, we made a U-turn so we can finally check out the festival the last day. My favorite part was the tea area where for a small fee, you get a cute mug with an Irish tea bag and some sweets. It is a wonderful place to unwind from the busier area while enjoying some wonderful Irish music. I do wish there was more Irish food offered as the only thing we got that was close were the Welsh cakes since they ran out of bangers and mash. If they can get a few extra Irish food vendors since majority of the food were more fair food, it would be perfect. read more

I had never heard of this Festival before, but it definitely makes sense!! Dublin, Ireland and Dublin, California obviously share the same name. And they do this Festival big here, I wasn't expecting that!! They had everything here, carnival rides, pony rides, booths galore, an animal petting area, food galore, and plenty of people!! There was also a stage area that featured music and dancing, with chairs set up to sit down there. And parking here is free, just follow the signs. This Festival goes down in the Dublin Civic Center near the Dublin Public Library and City Hall, and the whole surrounding area!!! read more

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Played music here with Stout Rebellion. It's a lively, well-organized event. Plenty of vendors and music for all. read more

Dublin St. Patrick's Day Festival - Pub Stage sign - Festivals Near Me - Dublin, California

Dublin, California, shares a name with Dublin, Ireland, and its logo is a shamrock, so it's no surprise that they decided to go all out for St. Patrick's Day. I went on Saturday with my family since we wanted to watch the parade. Compared to other holiday-themed parades I've watched, this was more interactive since the participants passed out beads, candy, and other giveaways to the crowd. There were antique cars, ethnic organizations, marching bands, schools, and tractors. This was a 1-hour affair that seemed to get disorganized towards the end. Onto the festival itself, it was much larger than other holiday-themed street fairs I've been too. It reminded me of a county/state fair since there were animals and carnival rides in addition to the booths and food vendors. There were lots of giveaways, and Culture Pop was passing out free cans of their probiotic soda. Originally, we wanted to visit the Tea Cottage, but were disappointed when we saw that they were serving tea bags and prepackaged snacks you can get from the typical big box store. I also wish that they had more Irish food options. Side notes: 1.) Free parking lots available to festivalgoers *Verdict: If you've never been, I recommend checking it out, whether you celebrate St. Patrick's Day or not! read more

Dublin St. Patrick's Day Festival - Baby goat - Festivals Near Me - Dublin, California

This was a really fun festival full of extraordinary music, food, and vendors properly honoring the holiday and theme. It's one of the better and more elaborate festivals I've been to in the bay area, not just a bunch of repetitive businesses selling underwhelming products, but unique vendors selling more atypical items, from animal themed figurines and gifts, to massage pillows, and even a jerky tent offering free samples and lots of diverse flavors! All of this with a creative layout throughout the Dublin Civic Center. The food vendors offered so many options, including filipino food, fish and chips, and delicious sourdough grilled cheese, as well as desserts like Holey Donuts, ice cream, and shaved ice. But the most popular food stands, of course celebrating the Irish themed holiday, were the Welsh Baker serving tea, scones, and savory cakes, and Chicken and the Farm, which not only served lobster rolls and meat sandwiches, but several St. Patrick's themed dishes (loaded leprechaun fries, corned beef potato kegs, Irish tacos, and pot o' gold wings). In addition, there were several drink stands selling both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. This festival also had a pretty impressive petting zoo, not just the typical small pen with several animals mixed together, but actually different animals (ducks, bunnies, donkeys, and more) housed in their own separate spaces underneath a circus-tent type of setup, where visitors could pay to hang out with the animals inside the pens. For instance, the bunnies actually had a medium-sized area dedicated just to bunnies, so there were several species of rabbits in there that guests could pet, and even a smaller cage with baby bunnies inside. That's rare I'd say, and I would know because I'm always looking for bunnies at these kinds of events. They also offered pony rides for kids, next to the petting zoo. The highlight for me was the music. This festival had three stages with different performers scheduled over the course of two days. We checked out all three stages during our visit and got to see some great Irish dancing as well as two bands playing fun and entertaining Irish music, along with their own renditions of several covers. So many instruments played by the remarkably talented musicians, including the guitar, violin, bass, drums, harp, accordian, flute, viola, harmonica, pennywhistle, and more. With free festival admission and street parking not too difficult to find nearby, this was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. read more

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I liked going there again for the festival this weekend. There was a lot of food sampling, freebies, contests, music and dancing. I miss when IKEA, Safeway, Savers were represented at the event. They were not here at this event like in the past. But there is one major reason why I gave the event 3 out of 5 stars- there was a plastic sign placed everywhere that clearly stated no dogs allowed. Apparently, there is an ordinance. But still I believe I saw about 8 owners with their dogs on Saturday. There were also the police - they had a stand and some of them were walking around. However, they ignored the ordinance by looking the other way. Luckily I did not see any dog poo and vicious dogs at the event as far as I could see. But what ever happened to reinforcing laws. There were food trucks present so there are sanitary concerns to consider!! read more

This was my first time at this festival. I was elated to see so many people down to put on their best greens and boogie down to some Irish tunes. There was such a variety of activities to check out (face painting, traditional dance, art and a whole lotta food. I liked the variety of music, one stage had traditional Irish music and the other hand Irish rock. Both had some serious talent. I'll be back next year. read more

Rain or shine, the show must go on! And with a few light sprinkles, it sure didn't break up the activities here! In fact, even the atmosphere was on-point with the clouds and rain. It made for a excellent resemblance to weather in Ireland. With this being my first time attending this festival, I gotta say, I was pretty impressed by the whole overall set up. Nothing highly spectacular, but the vendors, rides, and performers made for an entertaining time. Some of the highlights I enjoyed: ~ Free admission! ~ The Kettle Corn stands! Always a carnival "must have"! ~ Golden State Snacks stand, and the really nice folks running it. ~ Grilled Sausages & Linguica stand. Freakin' excellent tasting linguica on a Costco bun with blue cheese, grilled onions and peppers... Damn I really wanted another one! ~ The stages with band performances or kids hoppin' to a river dance. ~ Corn Dog stand - OMG! Probably the best corn dogs I've ever had! ~ The bacon mac-n-cheese from the burger stand with the long line. Worth the wait! ~ Firefighters Pancake Breakfast ($5). Starting off your morning right! ~ The 'I Love Popcorn' guy and his variety of flavors. Free samples, so we bought a couple of bags. ~ Guinness Mug with the event name and date. ~ Shamrock 5k fun run. I wimped out because of the rain, but heard it was still fun. Strange & Funny highlights: ~ The mobile ATM machines. Yes, I said "mobile"... Hmm, I've got my own security issues lol. ~ I totally didn't take a picture of this, but totally regret it. Seeing the "water dispenser" stations. Standing next to the station, I noticed a kid filling up water jugs with a garden hose. Refilling the jugs for that station. Um, yeah, I think it's safe lol. ~ The guy falling asleep inside his decorative dragon statues booth. Did this seem like an Irish St. Patty's Day party? HA! So long as I had a Guinness in hand, I was happy. Other than that, not everything there was Irish. Would I attend again next year? Eh, maybe, maybe not. If I do, it'll only be because of the food! read more

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To have a St. Patrick's Day Festival in a town called Dublin seems very appropriate & fitting. I've gone to this festival a couple of times and I really enjoyed hanging out with all of the locals and the families that have attended this event. Finding parking may be difficult, but the good thing is that there are a lot of businesses nearby that are closed during the weekend, so their parking lot is free to use for this festival; although you may need to park pretty far, so expect to do a lot of walking. This is a free event just like Super Bowl City in San Francisco in 2016; except they're not as busy, the prices at the vendors aren't astronomically inflated, and I had more fun here. There are a lot of booths at the event that sells random merchandise or are local advertisements. There are a lot of food available at this festival and you may also purchase beer, so if you don't want to be carded consistently for alcohol purchases, you can just get a wristband instead. There are also some entertaining musical performances that are performed by some local bands or organizations. The food, music & some of the booths do have an Irish theme, and I was very interested in purchasing a medieval sword from one of their booths. The's also a lot of activities that are great for the kids. It feels like a little fair too, where there are rides, rock climbing, zip lining and games where you can win some prizes. If you're in the East Bay and looking for something social to do on St. Patrick's Day Weekend, I highly recommend checking this festival out! It's right off the I-580 & I-680 freeway, the event and nearby parking is free, and everyone is friendly & having a good time with their families. read more

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One of those things that one visits when that time of year comes around. I've always admit to avoiding the parade throughout the years but I do at least look at the pictures posted. The parking to the festival is sadly getting slightly harder and harder to find due to the festival becoming more popular and to the increased housing in the area too. The rides for the kids always seen to be about the same year to year. But the vendors slightly vary but not that much year to year. The food vendors are mainly the same too, but their food selections vary just enough just for one to walk around to see if something sounds tempting and good. Anyways if you have time and in the area, stop by and enjoy the sights, concerts and sounds! read more

Dublin St. Patrick's Day Festival - Festivals Near Me - Dublin, California

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From looking at the website, I thought this was just a small-town, one-block event. I was wrong. It was a shamrockpalooza! I went with my preschool twins and we had a blast. There were: nonstop dancing girls, a sheepherding contest, Irish bands o'plenty, the usual festival food court of fried things (decent veggie selection!), about 4 rows of vendor/community group booths, AND a full complement of carnival rides! There were also people walking around with beers, but I didn't have any free hands for that (see: preschool twins). We had a blast -- made a day of it, when I'd hoped to kill an hour or two at best. And I got to take the twins on their first ferris wheel ride, because they are *just now* tall enough to ride the rides. We'll be back, and that's no blarney. read more

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Like Sara J, me and me'lassie went to this event, and did just about everything. We hooked up with an old friend of mine, we had done house church for several years (he's the one who coined the phrase "the church at Table #2"), and sat in the cold, chilly wind watching the parade. Then went to the kids fest at City Hall. Executive Summary: Dublin is not to Ireland what Solvang is to Denmark; it's a typical suburb, and this is reflected in the festival. The parade was . . . well, it wasn't boring, but it wasn't unique either. Lots of green, of course, but mostly felt like a typical community parade. I was hoping for entries by Arlen Ness or Frankie Johnny & Luigi Too, but oh well. Not a lot for the kids, although my girl was five, she loved the rides and the bouncers. Art show for the grown-ups, my wife liked that part. I can't comment on any green beer, I don't drink it. It's strange, San Francisco is not exactly famous for its Irishness, but it had a much better parade. Not as many side activities in SF, but they were done better. It's intriguing to go to a town named after Ireland's biggest city to see how they do St. Patty's Day, and it's fun if you live in the area. But if you're driving a little ways, best to go to The City. read more

Ok so I grew up in Dublin. I don't know how high expectations should fly for such things. My husband said this is supposed to be the 2nd largest St Patrick's day celebration in CA. SF holds number one. The locals with kids head out for the 9:30am morning parade. It's meh but you know my kids marched in band so what can I do? Gotta cheer. There are two key locations for the festival. One by the civic center and the other off of Amador Valley Blvd. And it lasts two days. Sunday they have the 5k. Yes I've run in it twice. It's fine and fun. Back to the festival... There were three stages and a couple more isles of booths this year. There are rides and tons of food choices. Of course there is beer and wine, and an annual glass beer mug. Yes we get it every year. And this year I had a yummy Black and Tan. Tomorrow I'll check out the other location across town and let you know. In the past it's been more beer and old cars. read more

Dublin St. Patrick's Day Festival - Festivals Near Me - Dublin, California

Good concept and I can see how this would be a very fun event if the weather is nice. Sadly, we came on a rainy day. Because we are spoiled by sunshine, I guess no one expected rain. There are very little going on due to the weather. Most vendors are not there, only one stage has cover for the audience, all rides are packed up probably due to safety reasons. The food was good, especially the corned beef sandwich but again, there is no where to escape the rain. Tables and chairs are set up under solar panels that would be good for sunshade only. One highlight is zoo station's performance. Despite the weather, they are still very upbeat and tried to get the crowd going. read more

I usually love everything about this event. It's one of my favorite festivals. This review is for the glasses they give you with their beer. It costs $10 per souvenir glass and $7-9 more for their beer. My husband and I paid $38 to get our green souvenir pint beer glasses with beer. They should of told everyone not to wash them in the dishwasher because the plastic covering of the glass bubbled up and came off. C'mon Dublin, you could of got more expensive glassware with the amount of money you are making from all the houses you are trying to overload Dublin with. Souvenir glasses should come with beer and offer refill discount incentives . read more

Dublin St. Patrick's Day Festival - Glass after it was in dishwasher once. Words came off - Festivals Near Me - Dublin, California

If the festival did not have free admission then I would have reduced that to 1 star. The festival is nothing amazing. I knew it would be crowded, but I wasn't expecting the level of crowds and lines that we experienced. An hour wait for corned beef sliders and then we get to the front of the line and they are out of corned beef sliders-major bummer. We never even got in line for the beer because that would have been another hour. The parking was horrendous, the traffic on Dublin Blvd was horrendous. The booths and entertainment were ok, nothing amazing. Cheesy Irish bag pipe band made it a little more worth it. At least the weather was nice, but next year I will make my own corned beef and cabbage, purchase a six pack of Guinness and avoid the crowds! read more

Free Event held by the community. Local unique vendors and food. Live Irish bands and Dancers and entertainment. It's an outdoor event so the better the weather the more people are likely to stay out to enjoy. Carnival rides and games and prizes. Parking is not easy, but on a nice day don't be afraid to walk. read more

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Now this event I can to accurate comment! Some reason I submitted SAINT PATRICK DAY PARADE of town Sacra, I kept try delete, but yet they want me do Star Rating! I gave it four star rate! This is a free event, this year March 18, 2017 and March 19, 2017! The Saturday starts with parade! There are children activities, you knowing I go to most if not all those! The zip line, yes they provide harness and other safety items but with leg injury of May 27, 2005, I hesitant! Even the person responsible for providing harness and other safety items say with bad leg, "You right, Miss! Not good idea for you to at all try, thank for asking!" Yes there beer and whiskey booths! However if any to read my reviews, they see I not drink alcohol! Even Sheraton Grand Sacra Hotel our capitol town in CA, they knowing all I wanting are bowls bar snacks, cups water, cups orange juice, so no, can no to accurate comment on beer and whiskey booths! Learning of something call Corn Beef or Corned Beef! All kind items with this food call Corn Beef or Corned Beef! As say, I just more used to Chinese/Japanese food, cultural familiarity, but the people at these food booths are just so very friendly, so very patient, willing answer all my questions! What I enjoy, think there in country IRELAND a town or a city call by Dublin, hence the parade every year here in Golden State very big deal! read more

Cheers to the Irish! I hadn't been to this festival in years! But I do remember greatly enjoying it last time I did attend. So my girlfriend and I, being mostly Irish and lovers of festivals such as this, decided to get our celebration on by visiting the festival this year. We arrived around 10:30. Parking is available off Sierra St in the business center parking lots. It was packed as you can imagine, leaving us with minimal parking options, though we did manage to find a nice spot not to far from the festival. This festival had FAR more vendors this year than I can remember. Lots of jewelry vendors, presenting an array of charming jewelry that had me wishing I had a deeper budget. Several great clothing vendors, and tons, tons, more unique booths. They had two stages set up with live Irish bands playing. One stage located close to the main entrance, and one toward the back of the park near the food court. One particular band was just absolutely PHENOMENAL and had me and my bestie breaking down dancing almost wanting to get up on stage and dance with the band..but not quite : ) The food options are similar to your standard fair/festival selections, with a handful of Irish food influences mixed within such as : Corn Beef Sandwiches, Corned Beef and Cabbage Egg Rolls, Irish Bangers, and Shamrock shakes. Not too mention a beer booth with a selection of Irish Beers such as : Smithwicks, Guinness, Sharp and a Black and Tan option. Prices for beer varied from $7-8 dollars. I ordered an Irish Banger $7.00 to start off my food frenzy day. It turned out ok, however after a few bites in, I felt it tasted a little funny. I actually ended up taking it back and asking to get something else instead. They were extremely nice about it and let me swap it out for a Corn dog. And being it was cheaper, I ended up getting $2.00 back. It turned out very good. Me and my girlfriend than ordered a beer. I got a Guinness and her a Smithwicks. Tasted great just minus the steep festival prices. We later walked around to check out the booths and people watch. Everyone seemed so particularly friendly this day. It really was a positive day. We then finished off the day after walking around, by having some Irish Corned Beef and Cabbage egg rolls- priced at $5.00 each. Now this crisp, savory, little sucker turned out lip smacken delish! Who woulda thought? Totally worth the $5.00 if you ask me, and totally worth getting! And a great way to end our festival celebration. Fun event, positive atmosphere, kid/family orientated....worth checking out! read more

So much fun each year! Saturday starts with the St. Patricks Day parade in downtown Dublin. The kids love all the goodies they hand and throw out on the floats. I love all the coupons we get from our hometown businesses! We lay our chairs out early, get Johnny's Donuts...a tradition...then hit the bars that are open for a bloody mary or beer. After the parade, hit the festival running. Lot's of wonderful vendors, music, irish dancers and more free goodies! The food is yummy and plentiful, there is something for everyone! It's a family festival, so as a resident of Dublin, we make this a tradition for our kids! Don't forget about the carnival rides and zip-line. If you ride your bike there, they even have free bike check in, no lock required. The best part of being apart of this wonderful tradition is that it's free! read more

This was a very well organized festival. It had many family events and great entertainment. I have been to many Scottish Games, Celtic Fairs and Renaissance Fairs besides good old St Patrick Day's celebrations. This one is unique in that - it was Free. That's right, free. The entertainment alone was outstanding. In all the events that had this much music 3 stages full from 10:00 to 5:00- it would cost at least 20.00 just to get in the event - here it was put on for Free and you could bring in your own food and non alcoholic drinks. Of course there were vendors, food, beer & wine and a carnival rides for children. The prices were on par for similar events - just nice knowing the profits for beer was going to fund local H.S. band rather than just makes somebody money. The people at the event were curious and polite - even in long lines. This was a very well put together event by the city of Dublin, CA. It is well worth your time - especially if you love live music - a great event - don't miss it and the price is right read more

Lacking a whole lot Irish in the vendor and food more American. Entertainment was great though.

Came here last Saturday when it was cold and windy. not as busy as years past and i know it was due to the weater. have to agree with another reviewer in that it's lacking Irish spirit and it's just a place for people to sell their merch and other ethnic food. Live music and irish dancing was great fun though! $8 beers seems steep...oh well. ample port-a-potty's were appreciated. read more

I'm wondering if I missed something after reading the other review, but there was very little "Irish" about this festival. I saw some dancing and heard a fiddling student, which was nice, but that was about it. There were only a few vendors selling leprechaun/shamrock trinkets and green drinks, which were disappointing and nothing but stereotypes of Irish culture. The rest had nothing to do with the theme of the day. I did not see the "authentic Irish wares" promised on the event website.. The band playing when I was there was a cover band, they were good, but not Irish... I'd skip it next time around. Or just go with different expecations, that this is just a general street fair. read more