Full calendar at end of the article.
Organisers are showing their confidence in Montserrat’s most popular festival returning to its former glory by submitting more than 30 events for this year’s St. Patrick’s Festival which runs from Friday, March 10 to Sunday, March 19, 2023.
After the abortion of the 2020 festival on the peak weekend ahead of the St. Patrick’s Day holiday, the Montserrat Arts Council had scaled down the 2021 and 2022 festival, limiting activities to primarily virtual events and encouraging residents to support the vendors and artisans in their community.
While this year’s calendar will give residents and visitors lots to enjoy, it is missing the larger international shows that Montserrat had begun to enjoy such as Emerald City Fest – the Reggae show, Stratify with top Soca and dancehall artists and Gold Rush a full Soca show.
The team behind Stratify had been anticipating hosting a show this year but last week, they confirmed that they would not be doing so. The reasons given were the lack of confirmation that there would be a regular ferry service, since the scale of their show requires numbers larger than the usual local pool of festival goers can support; and the arts council’s decision not to erect the large performance stage due to financial reasons.
Government officials are still hopeful there will be ferry service available for the festival and some promoters are counting on this to attract revelers from Antigua for the fetes such as Leprechaun’s Revenge, All White Affair, Leprechaun’s Dust, and the Heritage Feast.
Here’s the St. Patrick’s Festival Calendar with official and private events. It will be adjusted as events are added and confirmed. Download the social media-friendly version of the events calendar at the end of this post.
Friday, March 10
4:30PM – THE EVOLUTION OF THE MONTSERRAT NATIONAL DRESS – 20 Years On – National Museum
7PM – SILK COTTON THEATRE’S SAYINGS (Opening Night Gala) – Cultural Centre
10PM – BIG PEOPLE PARTY – Good Life
Saturday, March 11
06:00AM – SCRIBER’S NATURE HIKE
09:00AM – MAPS GOLF TOURNAMENT – Collins Park in Old Towne
6:00PM – LIGHTING OF THE FLAME – Cudjoe Head (TB Streamed)
7:00PM – SILK COTTON THEATRE’S SAYINGS (Night 2) – Cultural Centre
7:00PM – ST. PATRICK’S DINNER – Vue Pointe Hotel (Fundraiser organised by the St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church)
7:00PM – PANDEMIC with Junior Pan Players – Salem Centre
10:00PM – SNEAKERS & JERSEY EDITION – Good Life, Little Bay
Sunday, March 12
09:15AM – NATIONAL CHURCH SERVICE – St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, Look Out
1:00PM – CRICKET FOR CHARITY – Salem Park
4:00PM – AFRO MADRAS FASHION SHOW – Moose’s Place
5:30PM – SHENANIGANS – Gary Moore Bar, Salem
Monday, March 13
12:00PM – SPORTS DAY – ST. AUGUSTINE PRIMARY SCHOOL – Little Bay
4-8PM – THE ART SHOW – Hilltop
7:00PM – CULTURAL SPHERE with Matrixx Dancers – Cultural Centre
10:00PM – NEON FETE – Good Life
Tuesday, March 14
12:00PM – SPORTS DAY – LOOKOUT PRIMARY SCHOOL – Little Bay
12:00PM – BLOCKORAMA & BIG LUNCHEON – St. Johns
5:00PM – ST. PATRICK’S LECTURE SERIES – Watch Online ONLY at Montserrat Festivals on FB and Montserrat Carnival on YouTube
6:00PM – DHP 3×3 BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT – Multipurpose Sports Complex, Little Bay
7:00PM – ST. PATRICK’S LECTURE SERIES Panel Discussion – Watch Online ONLY at Montserrat Festivals on FB and Montserrat Carnival on YouTube
7:30PM – PEACE, LOVE, HOPE & JOY – Small Beginnings Youth Symphony Orchestra – Brades Arts & Education Centre
9:00PM – BRING U SELECTAH & FORWARD – Good Life, Little Bay
Wednesday, March 15
10:00AM – ALL DAY FISH FRY – Buss a Lyme – Little Bay
12:00PM – JERKFEST – Hilltop
12:00PM – SPORTS DAY – BRADES PRIMARY SCHOOL – Little Bay
4:00PM – ECO Play Committee’s – ST. PATRICK’S FLOWER SHOW & TEA PARTY – Montserrat National Trust, Salem
7:30PM – AIM – AFRICA, IRELAND, MONTSERRAT – Emerald Community Singers – Brades Arts & Education Centre
10:00PM – REMEDY COOLER FETE – Festival Village, Little Bay
Thursday. March 16 – National Heroes’ Day
06:00AM – HIKE TO THE PETROGLYPHS – Register here Bit.ly/petroglyphsmni
12:00PM – NYAME FEASTING ON YOUR HISTORY – Jumbie Carna, Barzeys
12:00PM – BOOZEY BRUNCH – Cultural Centre
7:30PM – KARAOKE NIGHT – Treasure Spot Bar – Cudjoe Head
8:00PM – OLDE SCHOOL BALL – Vue Pointe Hotel – Fundraiser for Meals on Wheels – $50
9:00PM – LEPRECHAUN’S REVENGE – Leprechaun’s Valley
Friday March 17 – St. Patrick’s Day
12:00AM – DRUM JAM – Salem to St. John’s
06:00AM – LEPRECHAUN’S DUST – from Arrow’s Manshop
12:00PM – HERITAGE FEAST & STREET PARADE – Salem
10:00PM – ALL WHITE AFFAIR – Cultural Centre
Saturday March 18
5:00PM – MARMIE SWEET TAMARIND STEW – AN EVENING OF POETRY – Montserrat National Trust with Ann Marie Dewar & Myrle Roach
7:00PM – WAHARI (Play) – Cultural Centre
10:00PM – ENERGY – Good Life
Sunday, March 19
12:30PM – THE SETTLEMENT (Car Racing & Street Jam) – Cork Hill
3:00PM – WET DREAMS – TBD – 3PM
