Scene4 Magazine | Qué Pasa

Dallas- The 2008 North Texas Irish Festival, (NTIF) recognizes the need for a eco-friendly way of living with it's theme, "Green its not just for Ireland Anymore" with several corporate sponsors featuring products and services designed to protect and preserve the environment. The annual North Texas Irish Festival, presented by the Southwest Celtic Music Association (SCMA) and sponsored by Bennigan's is one of the largest Celtic cultural events in the nation and will open its 2008 event beginning Friday night. The 26th annual NTIF features many of the top Irish musicians and dancers in the world and a number of cultural presentations on eight stages at Fair Park. Again in 2008, the NTIF will open its festival on Friday night, February 29th, at 6 pm with full festival activities, including performances by national and regional musicians. The festivities will continue throughout the weekend, including Saturday, March 1 through Sunday March 2, and feature some of the very finest in Irish and Celtic entertainment including world famous bands, award-winning dancers, enchanting storytellers at the popular Urchin Street area and educational workshops. As in the past, the festival will also offer a variety of delicious Irish and international food and drink, cultural crafts, and ethnic vendors. The North Texas Irish Festival has been a Dallas tradition since 1983, the three day NTIF is now recognized as the largest single cultural event held in Fair Park and, with attendance of over 45,000 people is second only to that of the State Fair of Texas. The festival has always centered on the music, dance, and culture of Ireland. The four large stages showcase international musicians from the US, Canada, and Europe, plus a great selection of very popular local and regional entertainers. The festival caters to almost every taste from the high energy Irish rock bands to traditional Irish tunes and sing along pub/historical ballads. Equally well represented are the colorful traditional and modern Irish dancers with their hand embroidered dresses and fast foot tapping rhythms. Some of the finest dancers in the country are located in the Metroplex in our local schools and they delight our audiences with continuous performances on our dance stage. In addition there will be dance workshops throughout the weekend and everyone is encouraged to get into the spirit of Ireland at the Saturday night Ceili, or Irish dance party. info call: 972-943-4616 www.ntif.org
Les Marcott