Victoria's St. Patrick's Day Festival

A number of St. Patrick’s Day events take place in Victoria each year, including the family-friendly Thrifty Foods St. Patrick’s Day Festival.

This article is primarily about the festival which takes place on Government Street. To learn about another St. Patrick’s Day celebration, see our article about Irish Whiskey Hooley.

Thrifty Foods St. Patrick’s Day Festival

Sponsored by the Victoria-based Thrifty Foods grocery store chain, the St. Patrick’s Day Festival is an annual event that takes place on Government Street. It usually happens on the Sunday just before or after St. Patrick’s Day (which is always on March 17th). Last year the festival occurred on the Sunday after St. Patrick’s Day. In 2024 the festival happens on St. Patrick’s Day, so on Sunday, March 17th.

The St. Patrick’s Day Festival takes place along the three or so blocks of Government Street between Yates Street and Broughton Street in downtown Victoria. The activities run from 11:00 am until 3:00 pm.

The family-friendly festivities happen near the Irish Times Pub which is at the entrance to Bastion Square. The pub is also where the Irish Whiskey Hooley event takes place on a different day.

The St. Patrick’s Day Festival features family-friendly games and live entertainment. There are food vendors on site serving up tasty treats and market vendors selling a variety of products. This year’s festival also features a magic show. For young children there are a couple of bouncy castle-style inflatable structures as well. It’s a fun event!

Daniel Lapp and BC Fiddle Orchestra — Daniel Lapp & BC Fiddle Orchestra

Entertainment Lineup

The entertainment lineup for the 2024 festival is to be confirmed. For an idea of what to expect, the following musicians and groups performed at the St. Patrick’s Day Festival in 2023.

Daniel Lapp – the founder of the Victoria Fiddle Society and a recipient of the “Innovator” award from the Canadian Folk Music Association.
BC Fiddle Orchestra – a collection of youth ensembles, there are dozens of teenagers who take part in this local orchestra program each year.
O’Brien School of Irish Dance – all the instructors at this school are former high-level Irish dancers. The group performs a selection of traditional Irish jigs.

Also performing in 2023 was Cookeilidh, the Victoria-based Celtic band.

Other groups performing at the event in previous years were the following:

Ivonne Hernandez – a multi-faceted performer, she is a Juno Award and Canadian Folk Music Award winner for her singing and fiddling. She is also a dancer.
Coastline Fiddle – an ensemble comprised of top youth musical performers from across the province, everyone in this group is between the ages of 14 and 23 quite talented.

2023 Performance Schedule

Below is the entertainment schedule from 2023. 2024 details are to be confirmed.

11:00 am to 12:00 pm – Daniel Lapp & the BC Fiddle Orchestra
12:15 to 12:45 pm – Coastline (Ivonne)
1:00 to 1:45 pm – O’Brien School of Irish Dance
2:00 to 3:00 pm – Cookeilidh!

Celtic Dancers on Government Street — O’Brien School of Irish Dance

St. Patrick’s Day Festival Video

The following video shows what the St. Patrick’s Day Festival looked like in 2022. As you’ll see, Government Street is full of people, vendor stalls, live entertainment and bouncy castles.

Appearing in this video are dancers from the O’Brien School of Irish Dance and musicians from the BC Fiddle Orchestra.