St. Patrick’s Day revelry begins early this week and continues through the weekend across West Michigan. Get the lowdown on Irish on Ionia and performances at other watering holes in the region in this preview.
Returning on Saturday: Crowds will once again fire up Irish on Ionia in downtown Grand Rapids. (Photos/Anthony Norkus/Chelsea Whitaker)
SCROLL DOWN FOR IOI SCHEDULE & ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARTY LISTINGS
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When virtuosic Celtic trio Selkie and Irish-minded duo Firish heat things up for the Local Spins Wednesdays series at SpeakEZ Lounge in Grand Rapids tonight, they’ll help ignite several days of St. Patrick’s Day revelry across West Michigan.
Those celebrations will range from the cozy, traditional music sets staged amid SpeakEZ Lounge’s 140-capacity venue to throngs of thousands of green-clad merrymakers clogging downtown roadways for Saturday’s day-long Irish on Ionia outside HopCat, billed as Michigan’s largest St. Patrick’s Day street party.
Selkie: Performing tonight at SpeakEZ and several times over the weekend. (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
In between, bars and watering holes from Muskegon to Holland to Kalamazoo and beyond will toast St. Paddy’s Day with performances by a bevy of Celtic-driven bands and solo artists who do the lion’s share of their musical business in March.
The Grand Rapids Symphony even joins the fun with iconic fiddler Eileen Ivers joining the orchestra for “Celtic Landscapes” on Friday and Saturday at DeVos Performance Hall.
But it’s hard to top the spectacle of Irish on Ionia.
“After three years off during COVID and sustaining the 10-year anniversary during a freak blizzard in 2023, perhaps the primary objective in 2024 is getting Irish On Ionia back to the days of when we experienced record crowds from 2017 to 2019,” said Todd Ernst, event director for Irish on Ionia that runs 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday with 16 DJs and bands performing on two stages along with two Irish dance troupes.
“Of course, weather plays a tremendous role in that, but ultimately West Michigan always turns out and shows us what they’re made of.” (The weather forecast currently calls for a high of 52 with cloudy skies.)
‘SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY’ IN A STACKED IRISH ON IONIA LINEUP
Ernst said the performance lineup “falls under the umbrella of ‘something for everybody’” by alternating DJs with Celtic acts.
“Since the beginning of Irish On Ionia in 2011, the goal has always been to book a diverse group of proper Irish bands, along with well-established West Michigan open format and EDM DJs,” he said.
Belfast Gin (Photo/Joshua Tufts)
“This year, we’ve worked hard on our diversity and offer opportunities to emerging DJs that have been doing some notable work in West Michigan.”
One big change: The 21-and-older Irish on Ionia has gone cashless and all beverage stations are now tap-to-pay. Local food trucks will be available and HopCat will only be open to Irish on Ionia ticketholders.
General admission tickets are $25 available online here, with those sales ending Friday (March 15). VIP tickets are $65, which provide guests with an Irish on Ionia stein, drinking gloves, a beanie and fast pass re-entry to the festival.
A WEEK OF CELTIC CELEBRATIONS
Even though Saturday is really St. Patrick’s Day eve, cities across the region will treat it like it was March 17, with St. Patrick’s Day Parades at 11 a.m. in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Muskegon, noon in Holland, 10:55 a.m. Sunday in downtown Conklin (for the shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the world) and at various times in other cities across the state.
Beyond Irish on Ionia, the week and weekend offer a wide array of entertainment at countless taverns and venues in the area. Here are a few to check out:
WEDNESDAY
• Selkie and Firish (guitarist Colin Tobin and fiddler Ashley Kooistra) play SpeakEZ Lounge in downtown Grand Rapids at 7:30 p.m. tonight (Wednesday). Details here.
THURSDAY
• Celtic music’s Toby Bresnahan plays Cedar Springs Brewing in Cedar Springs at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, with Selkie playing the brewery at 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
FRIDAY
• The Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids hosts a “St. Patrick’s Day Celebration” with local musicians Alison Sanchez, Ben Traverse, Dede Alder, Elijah Russ, Eric O’Daly, Hannah Laine, Jason Wheeler, Keala Venema, Kyle Rasche, Mariko Venema and Nicholas James Thomasma at 8 p.m. Friday. Details, tickets here.
• The Grand Rapids Symphony’s “Celtic Landscapes” with fiddler Eileen Ivers at DeVos Performance Hall takes place at 7 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday. Tickets, details here.
FRIDAY/SATURDAY/SUNDAY
• The Curragh in downtown Holland boasts a full weekend of music, starting with Ironwood on Friday night. On Saturday, Selkie performs at 12:30 p.m., followed by Pub Runners, Black Murray and finally, DJ the DJ at 10 p.m. On Sunday, Fox Chasers take the stage at noon, followed by Irish dancers at 1 p.m. and Selkie at 5 p.m.
• Unruly Brewing in Muskegon hosts The Barley Saints at 8 p.m. Friday, with Saturday DJ music starting at 9 a.m. Mona Shores Fiddlers perform at 3 p.m. Saturday, Lakeshore Arden Academy Irish Dancers at 5 p.m., Muskegon Regional Police Pipes & Drums at 5 p.m. and The Barley Saints at 8:30 p.m. Starting at 3 p.m. Sunday, Unruly will host sets by Justin Brady, Scott Sheldon, Third Class Flynn and The Barley Saints.
• Quinn & Tuite’s Irish Pub on Plainfield Avenue in Grand Rapids gets things started at 12:30 p.m. Saturday with Conklin Ceili Band, followed by Colin Tobin, Pipe Band, Colin Tobin & Ashley, and the Conklin Ceili Band again at 8 p.m. On Sunday, things start up again at 1 p.m. with Colin Tobin & Ashley, followed by Conklin Ceili Band at 5 p.m. and Leprecons at 8:30 p.m.
• Flanagan’s Irish Pub in downtown Grand Rapids features DJ Krypto at 9 p.m. Saturday, followed by a St. Patrick’s Day party at 6:30 p.m. Sunday with DJ Krypto and DJ Edwin Knockout.’
• Conklin Bar in Conklin (Ottawa County) features Dan Wilder at 8 p.m. Saturday, with Dennie Middleton at 2 p.m. Sunday, followed by Jess Willyard at 6 p.m.
• Kalamazoo hosts a “Kalamazoo Shamrock Stroll Bar Crawl” on Saturday and a “St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl” on Sunday. Details here.
• Kusterer Brauhaus in Grand Rapids presents Toby Bresnahan at 4 p.m. Sunday.
Check out Local Spins’ coverage of last year’s St. Paddy’s Day revelry here.
The Conklin Ceili Band at Quinn & Tuite’s Irish Pub. (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
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