Break out your flip flops for the last weekend of summer and a great road trip down the shore. This is the weekend of the 28thAnnual Irish Fall Festival in North Wildwood, sponsored by James Reilly Division 1 Ancient Order of Hibernians.
The festival is already underway, but this Saturday and Sunday cap off one of the biggest and best Irish festivals on the East Coast.
On Saturday, vendors set up shop along Olde New Jersey Avenue and sell their wares from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Plenty of great food and drink on hand, too.
Also starting at 8 a.m., a 5K Run, with sign-in between 1stand 2ndon Olde New Jersey Avenue. Entry fee is $20. For more info, visit theirishjog.com.
Starting at 10 a.m. at Bill Henfey Park, at 8thand Central, check out the Brian Riley Pipe Exhibition, with bagpipe bands from up and down the East Coast. This event always draws a big crowd.
If you’re more interested in learning Irish dance, you can take lessons at the Greater Wildwood Elks Lodge, Chestnut and Olde New Jersey Avenues, starting at 10 a.m. and running through 12 noon.
Opening ceremonies for the festival will be held at noon at Chestnut and New Jersey Avenues.
Live Irish entertainment is on tap all afternoon and into the evening at Chestnut and Olde New Jersey Avenues. The tunes start at 12 noon.
If you’re into pub crawling, music will be on offer in all the local bars and taverns.
You can start your Sunday by attending Mass at 10:30 a.m. at St. Ann’s Church, Glenwood and Atlantic.
Following that, starting at 12:30 p.m., line up to watch the parade—it’s a big one—that starts at 20thand Surf and wends its way to Spruce and Olde New Jersey Avenues. And once again, vendors are set up along Olde New Jersey Avenue from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Bus service will be available at Anglesea Fire Hall, 2ndand Olde New Jersey, along Surf Avenue to 26thand to Wildwood and Wildwood Crest. We recommend it. It’s a really good deal.
It’ll be sunny with temps in the high 70s this whole weekend in the Wildwoods. Hard to resist summer’s last hurrah.
Other fun this week:
Saturday, September 21
Ken McBride Himself makes an appearance at the MacSwiney Club, 510 Greenwood Avenue in Jenkintown, starting at 6:30. Seating is limited. Tickets 10 bucks.
Also, yet another in a series of Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day parties, this one sponsored by the Ladies AOH Division 5 at the Hilltop Athletic Association, 4100 Grove Avenue in Oakford. Live music, 50/50, raffle baskets and a photo booth. Proceeds of the event will benefit women in crisis pregnancies and their newborns. Tickets are $40 each or $280 for a table of eight. It all starts at 7 p.m.
Sunday, September 22
You might want to check out the ballad session at Fergie’s, 1214 Sansom Street in Center City, led by John Byrne. It starts at 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, September 24
Skerryvore is in concert with House of Hamill at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut Street in University City. The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets here.
Thursday, September 26
Curious about your Irish heritage? Satisfy your curiosity at the Irish Immigration Center, 7 South Cedar Lane in Upper Darby. Join Lori Lander Murphy and friends to discover your ancestors in Ireland and America and to learn about their lives and experiences. All are welcome. Be there at 7 p.m.
Friday, September 27
Check out the debut of the band Oakwyn at The Whitpain Tavern, 1529 Dekalb Pike in Blue Bell. Oakwyn is a four-piece band playing all your favorite Irish, classic rock, alt rock, country, oldies and modern hits. Something for everybody! It starts at 9 p.m.
And that’s it for this very crowded week.
