The annual St. Patrick's Festival Kilkenny will return this March with four days of pageantry, music, and craic to mark Ireland's national holiday.

A number of free events will take place in Kilkenny between March 15 and March 18, including street entertainment, children's shows, and a St. Patrick's Day parade. 

This year's parade is themed "Kilkenny Cats: Tales and Legends" and will celebrate the history, culture, and heroes of Kilkenny with a parade through the medieval streets of the city. 

Dance troupes, bands, and colorful floats will all take part in the parade.

The four-day St. Patrick's festival will celebrate Kilkenny's ancient tales and present-day legends and coincides with the Kilkenny Tradfest, a traditional Irish music festival with gigs and concerts from celebrated Irish musicians. 

It will also feature American marching bands, food markets, funfairs, workshops, and a wide range of special events throughout the four-day celebration. 

The funfair will feature a "big wheel" allowing visitors to gaze on Kilkenny from above and take in a majestic view of the medieval Kilkenny Castle, which will light up green for the occasion. 

Festival organizers are encouraging people to travel to Kilkenny to take part in the St. Patrick's Festival, in particular extending the invitation to community groups, marching bands, theatrical groups, and members of groups in cities that are twinned with Kilkenny, including Malbork in Poland, Formigine in Italy, and Kilkenny in Minnesota. 

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The festival returned to Kilkenny in 2022 after a two-year break due to the pandemic, with more than 100,000 taking to the streets of the small Irish city during the six-day festival. 

Organizers are predicting similar crowds in 2024 and are looking to provide an even better atmosphere for the thousands of people who visit Kilkenny next month. 

You can learn more about St. Patrick's Festival Kilkenny on its website.