2008 Mar 15 St. Patrick's Day Parade in Wangfujing Tomorrow
The Embassy of Ireland's Irish Cultural Festival kicks off this weekend with a huge St Patrick’s Day parade along Wangfujing Dajie on Sunday afternoon. The festival runs from March 15 to April 6, with Irish music, theater, dance and art events taking place across the capital. Other bars around town are also getting into the Irish jig of things with both Frank's Place and Paddy O'Sheas featuring traditional Irish music and nosh. Take a look at the official site and the 7 days in Beijing newsletter for all the event details. True Run Media’s latest publication agenda caught up with the Irish Ambassador Declan Kelleher earlier this month to talk about the festival. We’ve included the interview from agenda below:
Interview with Irish Ambassador Declan Kelleher
agenda: How much awareness of Irish culture is there in China?
DC: The awareness of Ireland, particularly Irish culture, is very high in China. I regularly encounter Chinese people who are familiar with the works of Irish writers and poets, and who find similarities between Chinese and Irish culture. Irish writers who have traveled to China, such as George Bernard Shaw, have found Chinese people to be a receptive and informed audience.
agenda: So how did this month’s Irish Cultural Festival come about?
DC: The Embassy is very active in promoting Irish culture – we hold regular cultural performances and assist Irish artists in traveling to China to meet with their counterparts here. We felt that this year, in the run-up to the Olympic Games and Paralympics, that having a festival to highlight the best of Irish culture would be very timely.
agenda: What do you hope to achieve with the Cultural Festival?
DC:The festival will showcase a wide variety of Irish cultural activities, including music, dance, literature and art. One of the key features of the festival will be the first ever St Patrick’s Day parade in Beijing, which will take place on Wangfujing at 2pm on March 16.
agenda: As an Irish national celebration, how do you expect the sight of a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Wangfujing to go down with local people?
DC: I see this not as an exclusively Irish event, but as a celebration of being Irish and having Irish friends throughout the world. I know that there are many Chinese organizations here that feel a connection to Ireland and so have indicated their wish to participate. For those who are seeing a [St. Patrick’s Day] parade for the first time, I think they will enjoy the carnival spirit and good-natured fun that typifies such parades.
Mar 16
St. Patrick's Day Parade
Watch Wangfujing turn green for what promises to be a fun start to the Irish Cultural Festival, with traditional and modern Irish dance, music, arts, theater and words. All are welcome (those wearing green particularly so). Festival events will continue through Apr 16. Free.
2pm. Wangfujing Dajie
Links and Sources:
Irish Embassy in Beijing: Irish Cultural Festival, 15 March to 6 April 2008
The Beijinger Forum: St. Patrick's Day Parade - WangFuJing - Sun. March 16th 2008
The Beijinger Forum: St Patrick's Day
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