The story
St Patrick's Festival Dublin in Dublin
A four-day civic festival in Dublin centered on March 17, established by the Irish government in 1995, anchored by a National Parade drawing crowds above half a million alongside a wider programme of theatre, music, food, and wellness events extending well beyond the parade itself across the full four days.
The Irish government established this festival in 1995 to build a multi-day celebration around March 17 rather than leave Dublin's national day to a single afternoon parade, and the event now runs across roughly four days centered on that date each year.