As everyone knows, it’s our national duty to go out and have fun on March 17th. Avoidance of this sacred tradition is tantamount to high treason. Yet maybe wading through a sea of puke and smashed pint glasses in Temple Bar, dodging punches and shamrock hats isn’t for you. And that’s perfectly ok.
For those of you that would like to avoid trad music and irritating tourists this St Patrick’s day, read on for some alternative Paddy’s Day ideas.
Higher Vision Festival
The Irish festival scene is going from strength to strength over the last few years, with events like BD and Boxed off providing one day extravaganzas of world class techno and house. Higher Vision, the latest addition to the list, may turn out to be one of the greatest. A one day, bring your own beer festival on our national day of drinking, St Patrick’s Day? It’s such an inspired idea it’s amazing that it took this long to come about. The beautiful Bellurgan Park estate in Louth is the location for this showcase some of the top international and Irish DJs on the scene today. District 8 favourite Ejeca tops the bill, and his sets are always a high-energy treat. Disco whiz Dimitri From Paris joins him in headlining duties, along with techno duo Dense and Pika, and Julio Bashmore. Supporting them will be a collection of international and local DJ’s, over five stages.
With a combined crowd from North and South meeting in Bellurgan, the atmosphere at Higher Vision should be very high energy. The organisers have chartered festival trains from Dublin and Belfast to the site, which should lead to crazy scenes too. Tickets for Higher Visions are in short supply however, so any latecomers should get on it ASAP for fear of missing out.
Tale Of Us – District 8
While the main event takes place in Louth, the District 8 team are bringing a festival atmosphere to St Patrick’s Day all of their own. Dublin’s most popular techno club is opening its doors at 2 o’clock, for an eight hour all day show. House and techno innovators Tale of Us are the main attraction of the day. The North American born, Berlin based team are known for their diverse and emotional sounds, taking inspiration from pop, disco and rock music to create a unique collection of ambient tracks and dancefloor belters. They will be taking the lead on the indoor stage, while the courtyard stage will be manned by the massively entertaining Sim Simma crew. Tickets are currently priced at €20 for this one.
Wigwam
For anyone looking for a bit of nostalgic craic on the cheap, Wigwam’s first monthly Reeling In Your Ears party could be your new favourite thing. The premise is simple, they select a different year each month, and play all the best tunes from that year, from 12pm until closing time. The first one up is 1991, so attendees can expect a wide selection of classics from every genre, from Nirvana to Salt ‘N’ Pepa, Queen and DJ Jazzy Jeff. Entry is free, (over 20s) and in honour of St Paddy, Guinness Pong will be featured. This will be well worth sticking the head into if you’re stumbling around town.
Euphoria – Button Factory
Euphoria, the self-professed largest LBGT club night in Ireland, are celebrating their 3rd birthday with an all day party in the Button Factory. They will be bringing their signature high energy house music and international influences from 5pm, with Belgian house DJ Andrei Stan serving as the entertainer in chief. Tickets are €12 each, or five for €48.
Hangar
What says St Patrick’s Day more than a club night dedicated to two French robots? According to the good folk at Hangar, absolutely nothing. They are throwing a Daft Punk appreciation night on this most Irish of days, as a smart answer to having all of their main DJs performing at Higher Vision. Given that Daft Punk are probably the greatest and most iconic electronic act of all time, they could have done a lot worse. With cheap entry and cheaper cans on offer to accompany the majestic sounds, Hangar could be an ideal final destination on your Paddy’s day-long odyssey.
Josh Cogley