It’s International Irish Dance Day! Here’s how you can celebrate

Irish dancers are invited to celebrate the third annual International Irish Dance Day today, Saturday, September 17 - exactly halfway to St. Patrick’s Day!

For International Irish Dance Day 2022, organizers are once again planning a “Great Global Step About” scheduled for Saturday, September 17 at 5 pm local time wherever you are.

“Go live in person, go live online, or share a recording of your favourite dance and join us as we create a wave of Irish dancing across the world,” organizers said on social media.

What is International Irish Dance Day?

The goal of International Irish Dance Day is to unite the global Irish dance community. Organizers seek to create an inclusive, annual celebration for Irish dancers and enthusiasts to unite together regardless of location or affiliation.

International Irish Dance Day is not for profit and is not associated with any specific Irish dance organizations or businesses. Instead, it’s an opportunity for everyone to come together as a global collective and share with the world the joy of this dance form.

IIDD was first launched in 2020 to help inspire and motivate Irish dancers who were under lockdowns and restrictions around the world due to the pandemic. Teachers and students showed their resilience and passion for Irish dance keeping classes going any which way they could over Zoom and other online platforms. International Irish Dance Day gave dancers and teachers along with anyone else involved in the Irish dance world to celebrate the art form and promote all that is wonderful about this traditional dance form of Ireland.

How to participate in International Irish Dance Day 2022

Create

• Create custom social media graphics combining IIDD2020 and your school/organization/business (see the planning kit here)
• Create a video just for IIDD2020
• Create buzz! You don’t have to wait until September 17 to start talking about IIDD2022. The sooner we all start talking Irish dance, the better

Collaborate

• Collaborate with a local business to create a discount or offer for locals
• Collaborate with other dancers on new choreography
• Collaborate with your local government or Irish embassy on recognition

Host

• Host a performance in-person or virtually
• Host a Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day themed party
• Host a social media live broadcast and talk about Irish dance

Share

• Share our ready-made IIDD2022 graphics (media kit here)
• Share with others what you love about Irish dancing
• Share your knowledge, organize an Irish dance class or workshop

Promote

• Promote your product or business with a special IIDD2022 offer
• Promote your dancing school, show, or business on local tv, print, or radio
• Promote IIDD on social media (If you’re celebrating on social media, be sure to use the hashtags #IIDD2022, #InternationalIrishDanceDay, and #UnitedThroughDance and tag International Irish Dance Day on Facebook and Instagram.)

International Irish Dance Day 2022 inspiration

Need some help getting your Irish dance gears in motion? Check out some of these great Irish dance videos from all around the world shared for International Irish Dance Day in years past!