Newtown Irish Festival 2020: Dates, Schedule, More

NEWTOWN, PA — The Green Parrot is gearing up for its annual Irish Festival in Newtown. The festival gets underway March 12 and goes through March 17.

The festivities kick off March 12 with a performance by Seamus & CJ starting at 8 p.m. Live music starts at noon on March 13. Festivities start at 10:30 a.m. on March 14, which is a Saturday.

On St. Patrick's Day, which this year falls on a Tuesday, the festivities start at 11 a.m. and go through midnight.

A full schedule of entertainment can be found on the Green Parrot's Facebook page and website.

The Green Parrot is located at 240 N Sycamore St, Newtown.

The annual Newtown Shamrock Shuffle is scheduled for March 14. Click here to register.

The American celebration of St. Patrick’s Day started as a minor religious holiday in 1631, according to National Geographic. The church declared it a feast day, and over time the day became growingly associated with Irish-American tradition.

The annual holiday is celebrated on March 17 as it is the traditional death date of Saint Patrick.

The color green didn’t become connected with the day until the Irish Rebellion of 1798 — when Irish soldiers chose to wear green — since it was the color that most contrasted with the red British uniforms.

To read more about the history of the holiday and who St. Patrick was, visit National Geographic.