What could prove to be the largest St. Patrick’s Day celebration in Downtown history began at sunrise Wednesday at the Landing when the fountain in the courtyard turned green and an Irish blessing was read by a leprechaun as bagpipes played in the background.
It’s the first St. Patrick’s Day since Fionn MacCool’s Irish Pub opened at the Landing and General Manager Paul Glaser said he and his staff have prepared a full menu of food, drink and music.
“We’re looking forward to it. We’re thinking it will be bigger than St. Patrick’s Day at our Jacksonville Beach location because we have so much more space Downtown,” he said.
“They can use as much room as they need. This is where we have the Florida-Georgia weekend, New Year’s Eve and Fourth of July celebrations, after all,” said Blakeley Ainsworth, Landing public relations and marketing coordinator.
The holiday will start a day early at the pub with a Guinness toast at 7 p.m. Friday, midnight in Ireland, followed five hours later by another, midnight at MacCool’s. Savannah Jack will perform on the stage near the patio beginning at 9 p.m.
Also Friday, the annual Hooters Green Bikini Contest is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m.
The pub will serve an authentic Irish breakfast Saturday from 8-11 a.m., followed by a buffet of corned beef and cabbage, shepherd’s pie and Guinness beef stew from 11 a.m.-closing.
Mayor Alvin Brown is scheduled at MacCool’s at 10:30 a.m. to cut a green ribbon to open the festivities.
Spade McQuade will be onstage at 10:30 a.m., followed at 2 p.m. by Road Less Traveled, the Clay County Firefighters Pipes & Drum Corps at 5:30 p.m., Dublin Train Wreck at 6 p.m. and Savannah Jack at 9:30 p.m.
Glaser said MacCool’s at the Beach usually taps about 20 kegs of Guinness each year on March 17, but MacCool’s at the Landing will be stocked with more.
“We’re expecting to need a lot more Downtown,” he said.
The Landing will be serving green beer in the courtyard all day and giving away green beads.
Irish dance groups will perform onstage in the courtyard from 4-7 p.m. and a pyrotechnic display will explode over the St. Johns River at 10 p.m.
“It’s the first time in five years that we’ve had green fireworks for St. Patrick’s Day,” said Ainsworth.
The celebration of all things Irish will wrap up Sunday at 2 p.m. with the annual St. “Paw”ty’s Day Yappy Hour for dogs on leashes and their people. Prizes will be awarded for the greenest costumes and two canines will be crowned “Mr. and Ms. St. Patrick’s Day.”
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