Morning, Dublin! ☘️ Right, today is the day the festival actually starts, and the city is already buzzing. The sun has a chance of showing its face, there is an absolute stack of free stuff happening between now and midnight, and if you have kids, the Wood Quay Amphitheatre is the place to be all day. Don't sleep in too long! Here's everything you need for your Saturday. 🎉

It's properly here. St. Patrick's Festival 2026 theme: "Roots" is running across ten locations all over Dublin city today. Whether you're heading out with the kids this morning or looking for something spectacular to do after dark, here is literally everything on today and where to find it.

10:00 AM → 1:30 PM City Treasure Hunt 🗺️

Starting at Wood Quay Offices. Short route (~1hr) or full route (~1.5hrs). Prizes for best team name & costumes too. Pre-register at stpatricksfestival.ie. Free!

10:00 AM – 4:45 PM Family Village 🎈

Wood Quay Amphitheatre. Free all-day hub for families — workshops, live performances, crafts & DJ Seanem, Ireland's youngest festival DJ. Zero entry fee.

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM Dawson Chorus Pop Choir 🎤

90-person pop choir hits Parliament Street with Coldplay, The Cranberries, Chappell Roan, Madonna and more. Free street performance — just show up.

Afternoon Spéirbhean / Sky Woman 🎭

Stunning aerial performance at Wolfe Tone Park — silks, hoops, ropes and gravity-defying stunts from Ireland's leading aerialists. Free to watch.

🔥 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM — FREE — Tonight's Showstopper

Every evening of the festival, professional fire artists take over three locations across the city centre. Jaw-dropping stuff — and it's completely free. Wolfe Tone Park (Northside of city centre), South King Street and Barnardo Square. Wrap up warm and get there early for a good spot. This is the one to see tonight. 🔥

📊 Dublin-Wide · Housing

Here's a rare bit of genuinely good housing news. New CSO figures published this week show housing planning permissions rose 7.9% across Ireland in 2025, back up to 34,974 after a bad dip in 2024. Across the four Dublin local authorities, 9,352 units were approved — with Dublin City Council alone accounting for 3,310 of those, and apartments making up over half. It's not enough — we need 50,000 a year — but the direction of travel is finally right.

🎭 Southside · Dundrum

The festival comes to the Southside too — did you know St. Patrick's Festival actually has a dedicated Dundrum hub this year? If you're down south and don't fancy the trek into town, the festival website specifically recommends starting your festival adventure in Dundrum with local events tied into the wider programme. Check stpatricksfestival.ie for the full Dundrum lineup today.

🌊 Southside · Sandymount / Dublin Bay

Worth noting if you're planning a walk this weekend — Dublin Bay's water quality monitoring is back up for spring after the winter break. Dublin City Council's bathing water quality reports are live at all the main Southside spots: Sandymount Strand, Seapoint, the Forty Foot in Sandycove. Not exactly swimming weather today at 9°C, but the Forty Foot crew don't care about that. 🥶 Reports at dublinbayswims.ie.

🚍 City-Wide · Transport Reminder

Bus diversions are still in full effect today — all the way through to Wednesday 18th. If your usual Saturday route goes near the city centre, check dublinbus.ie before leaving. The good news — Nitelink is running tonight if you're heading out for the fire artists or to a gig. Check routes at transportforireland.ie so you can get home safely. 🌙

A bit of a booster shot for a Saturday morning. AmCham (the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland) confirmed this week that there are now nearly 1,000 US foreign affiliate companies operating in Ireland, generating an extraordinary €543 billion in annual affiliate sales. That's the backbone of a massive chunk of the jobs market in Dublin — from Sandyford and Leopardstown on the Southside, to the IFSC and the Docklands on the Northside. It's not without its critics, but on a Saturday morning, we'll take the jobs. 💼

The parade starts at noon from Parnell Square (Northside) and ends at the Cuffe/Kevin Street junction (Southside). O'Connell Street gets rammed by 9am — locals know to go north of the bridge for more breathing room. Grandstand tickets still available from €125 if you want a proper seated view. Or just bring a flask of tea and claim your patch of footpath. 🍀

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Today is genuinely one of the best days in the Dublin calendar. The city is full, the vibes are high, and there's a queue of free things to do from 10am until the fire artists wrap up at 9pm. Get out there. Bring the kids to Wood Quay, do the treasure hunt, watch the pop choir on Parliament Street, and end the evening with the fire show. If you're a first-time buyer — don't forget the Coolock affordable homes portal closes Wednesday. Four days to Paddy's Day. 🎺☘️

Back tomorrow with Sunday's guide — more festival, more fun. 🍀

— The Dublin Scoop Team