An Irish Perspective on Festival Making in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of St. Patrick’s Festival

Abstract

In December 2021, Danielle Lynch interviewed interim director of St. Patrick’s Festival, Anna McGowan about the experiences and challenges faced by the festival in planning Ireland’s largest arts festival during a global pandemic. The discussion details immediate actions taken by festival organisers in the aftermath of the March 2020 cancellation. The interview also provides an insight into how the festival responded to ongoing public health constraints in planning the 2021 national St. Patrick’s Festival.

Keywords::

• St. Patrick’s Festival
• COVID-19
• Ireland
• parade
• televised performance

Danielle Lynch is a PhD candidate at Technological University, Dublin, supervised by Dr Bernadette Quinn. Her research explores the relationship between place and the creative practice of festival making in Ireland. Danielle is also a festival practitioner working in industry and has worked for St. Patrick’s Festival.

Notes

1. In March 2001, St. Patrick’s Festival was postponed due to an outbreak of foot and mouth disease. At the time, restrictions were put in place to prevent the spread of the disease. The Government later supported the festival to take place in May 2001. See Michael O’Kane, ‘St Patrick’s Festival Delayed By Two Months’, RTÉ Archives, April 20, 2001, https://www.rte.ie/archives/2016/0418/782638-st-patricks-day-in-may/ (accessed January 18, 2022).

2. SEODA: Celtic Connections was a commission by St. Patrick’s Festival supported by the Welsh Government, the Scottish Government, and Culture Ireland as part of the 2021 festival programme. The project involved interviews and performances from Welsh, Scottish, and Irish artists to celebrate the creative and cultural connections that Ireland shares with Wales and Scotland. The project broadcast globally via the St. Patrick’s Festival SPFtv channel on 16 March 2021: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOzICy05Tao. (accessed January 18, 2022).

3. Orchestra of Light was a 500 piece drone show filmed in Dublin City. The show was a new innovation for the festival and took place over Dublin’s River Liffey with no physical audience. The show was recorded and broadcast online on St. Patrick’s Day 2021: https://youtu.be/x1VJlPUvVKI. (accessed January 18, 2022).