Pittsburgh Irish Festival celebrates the event's 30th Annual Celtic Celebration with some incredible live music, comedy acts, children's activities, and much more!
Founded in 1991 The Pittsburgh Irish Festival in Pennsylvania has become one of the nation’s finest Irish American festivals, and certainly the most comprehensive exhibit of Irish music, lore, food, and dance in the region.
“We’re so excited to be presenting an incredible entertainment line-up at this year’s Pittsburgh Irish Festival,” said Mairin Petrone, Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Irish Festival.
“Guests who have joined us at any point during the last 30 years can expect to see some familiar faces on stage as we celebrate this momentous anniversary!”
The 30th Annual Pittsburgh Irish Festival will be held on September 10, 11, & 12, 2021 at The Lots at Sandcastle.
The band Wild Geese will be performing at the annual Pittsburgh Irish Festival
The line-up features new bands, phenomenal solo performers, well-known favorites, local Irish dance groups, and more on four stages for non-stop fun and enjoyment.
Here are just some of the acts you can expect to see:
Pittsburgh Festival International Headliners 2021
The Bow Tides – Featuring Katie Grennan, Jessie Burns, and Ellery Klein, The Bow Tides don’t let any tune sit long without lush harmonies or rocking rhythms. After 14 cumulative years in Gaelic Storm (but never at the same time), these three fiddlers decided a pandemic was as good a time as any to join forces and are thrilled to be performing for the first time in person together at the Pittsburgh Irish Festival!
The Bow Tides featuring Katie Grennan, Jessie Burns, and Ellery Klein
Dennis Doyle - Denis is a Celtic harpist who has been featured at the Pittsburgh Irish Fest for over twenty years. His delightful program of traditional Irish harp music, stories, songs, bits of history, and jokes have been performed all over North America, Japan, and Ireland.
Gaelic Storm – The Celtic band founded in Santa Monica, California in 1996. Their musical output includes pieces from traditional Irish music, Scottish music, and original tunes in both the Celtic and Celtic rock genres.
The Screaming Orphans – The Pittsburgh Irish Festival could never have a year without this female powerhouse group. The Screaming Orphans are four sisters from Donegal, Ireland who you don’t want to miss!
The Screaming Orphans are four sisters from Donegal, Ireland 
Pittsburgh Festival Local Headliners 2021:
Corned Beef & Curry – The premier Irish party band out of Pittsburgh, PA. They have an uncanny ability to engage an audience and capture their imagination. Although their core is Irish music from pure Celtic to rock, they also have an amazing portfolio of songs from the 60’s to current. Be prepared to sing and clap along to tunes you know and love!
Bastard Bearded Irishmen – Pittsburgh-based Bastard Bearded Irishmen is one of the most entertaining and energetic live shows around. Their sound is an original, ferocious blend of traditional and contemporary Celtic music, mixed with punk, gypsy and high-energy rock n’ roll.
Donnie Irish – A band from the Pittsburgh area, they play a mix of Traditional Celtic Rock, Irish, Scottish, and American cover tunes. They also play a wide variety of cover tunes and put some much-needed drive behind some fantastic traditional Irish ballads.
The Wild Geese – This Pittsburgh-based group takes the old-school Irish pub feel and morphs it into an electrifying feel-good kitchen party. They astound genre-mixed audiences with their exciting live shows driven by waves of contagious stage energy, unforgettable original & traditional tunes, and mouth-watering five-part harmonies.
Pittsburgh Festival Comedy Acts 2021:
David Nihill- Originally from Dublin, Ireland Dave is an NPR featured storyteller, bestselling author, San Francisco Comedy Competition winner, runner up in the Moth’s largest US Grandslam storytelling competition and the first ever Irish comedian to have a special on Dry Bar Comedy. His work has been featured in Inc, The Huffington Post, Forbes, The Irish Times, TED, The Irish Independent, KQED, and on TV3 and his videos have been viewed over 50 million times. Find out more about him here.
Sean Finnerty- After 21 years of growing up in Longford, Ireland, Sean Finnerty decided to move stateside where a series of mature decisions that he failed to make led him to stand-up comedy. Recently he was rewarded for his efforts as he became the first ever Irish comedian to perform on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (2019). A keen eye for detail Sean has also developed a reputation as a roaster and in December 2019 he became the number 1 ranked roast comic in New York City.
Watch highlights from last year's Pittsburgh Irish Festival:
Find out more information about the Pittsburgh Irish Festival on their website. You can find the full line-up and schedule for acts here. You can also check them out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
