An extra special feature of this year’s festival is our visiting American Marching Bands.
Kicking off the Festival on Tuesday the 15th March we have the Hardin Simmons Cowboy Band from West Texas playing on the Parade at 11AM. They’ll be ‘yeehawing’, hollering and dancing in what will be an american marching band experience like no other!
On Wednesday the 16th of March, Kilkenny will play host to nearly 1000 musicians as the Marching Illini, one of the biggest marching bands in the US, and The Awesome Original Second Time Arounders come to town. The Marching Illini will be doing what they do best, marching through the streets of Kilkenny before joining the Second Time Arounders for a static performance in Kilkenny Castle Park. We’d love schools to bring their students to this special event. Dress up in the Irish colours and wave flags to welcome these visitors to Kilkenny and help start our St. Patrick’s Festival celebrations!
Date: Wednesday March 16th 2022
Time & Venue:
12pm: The Marching Illini will be marching from the Castle down High St, around the Market Yard and then back to the Castle.
12.30pm: Performance in the Castle Park by both marching bands.
Finally, on Saturday, the Kilkenny Castle Park will play host to The Pride of Dayton marching band from the university of Dayton Ohio, with a static performance at 12pm.
