St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner and Oregon's premiere celebration, the 28th annual  Kells Irish Festival returns in 2019 this Friday, March 15th through Sunday, March 17th to Portland. This year’s festivities take place at Kells’ two Portland locations: the original Kells Irish Pub at 112 SW 2nd Ave. and Kells Brewery at 210 NW 21st Ave. The three-day event offers live music, traditional Irish dancing, bagpipers, Irish food, and libations.

HIGHLIGHT EVENTSThe Smoker is a boxing event that pits Golden Glove boxers from Ireland against the best amateur pugilists of the Northwest. The event kicks off the festival on Friday, March 15, in the festival tent at Kells Irish Pub (Downtown). Advanced general admission tickets are separate from the festival cover and cost $30 at Ticket Tomato or at the door.A new event debuting this year is “The Ride for Gold,” a bicycle race and scavenger hunt where teams of two riders follow clues around the region to find shamrocks hidden along the course. The ride will take place on Saturday, March 16, beginning at Cathedral Park and finishing at Kells Brewery. Registration and more information will be available soon at OBRA.

Family Day will take place at Kells Irish Pub (Downtown) on Sunday, March 17, and feature arts and crafts, face painting, Irish dancing, and visits with Irish wolfhounds. Attendees can browse Celtic jewelry vendors and learn about Celtic genealogy and history, including meeting and listening to members of the Ancient Order of the Hibernian’s Portland Chapter.

ADMISSIONA limited number of  All Festival Wristbands are available now for $30 at the bar of each location. Weekend passes provide admission to both locations (Kells Brewery Northwest and Kells Irish Pub Downtown) March 15 to March 17. All Festival Wristband holders may skip the main line and check in with a valid ID. The All Festival Wristband includes a 2019 T-shirt, while supplies last; Kells recommends picking up the pass on Friday night to ensure a T-shirt. Advance weekend passes are only valid for ages 21 and older. They do not include the Kells Smoker on March 15, which is a separate ticketed event.

Kells Irish Pub (Downtown): General admission at the door is cash only and cost varies by day: Friday costs $10 starting at 7pm; Saturday costs $25 starting at 4pm (includes free T-shirt while supplies last); and Sunday costs $10 starting at 12pm ($5 for seniors, students age 21 and over, and veterans with ID). Minors are not allowed in the Pub after 3pm on Friday or any hours on Saturday or Sunday, although they are welcome in the restaurant and ballroom for dining. Minors are welcome in the Festival Tent on Sunday from 9am to 5pm and pay no cover charge. Kells Brewery (Northwest): General admission at the door is cash only and cost varies by day: Friday costs $5 starting at 8pm, Saturday costs $20 starting at 5pm, and Sunday costs $10 starting at 12pm ($5 for seniors, students age 21 and over, and veterans with ID). Minors are welcome daily until 7pm and pay no cover charge.

ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE

Full schedule posted at the bottom of this release.

ABOUT KELLS IRISH FESTIVALGerard and Lucille McAleese established Kells’ Portland location in 1990, and in 1991, they began the tradition of a St. Patrick’s Day Festival that has grown into the largest Irish celebration in the state. As a family owned business, Kells is deeply connected with the community it touches. In advance of the festival, Kells collects, matches and donates all the money – dubbed Irish Magic – on the restaurant’s ceiling to The Center for Medically Fragile Children at Providence Child Center. Kells has donated more than $300,000 over the last 25 years. ABOUT KELLSServing the Northwest since 1983, Kells Irish Restaurant is a local family-run establishment that is consistently voted and ranked among the top Irish pubs in the United States. With locations in Seattle, Portland and San Francisco, it is a touchstone of each community that stays true to its roots. Owners Gerard and Lucille McAleese are also recognized for their generosity to a number of nonprofits and community organizations. For more information, visit  www.kellsirish.com.

FRIDAY, MARCH 15Kells Irish Pub, 112 SW 2nd Ave (Inside)5PM: Beltaine7PM: Grafton Street9PM: Sami and The Groove11PM: Coming Up Threes

Kells Irish Pub Festival Tent (Back Parking Lot)5PM: Dance Hall Days7PM: Smoker

Kells Brewery, 210 NW 21st Ave (Inside)6PM: O’Douling8PM: Beltaine10PM: Cul an Tí12AM: Sami and The Groove

SATURDAY, MARCH 16 Kells Irish Pub, 112 SW 2nd Ave (Inside)2PM: Wil Kinky Band4PM: Boys of Malin6PM: O’Douling8PM: Grafton Street10PM: Royal Enfield12AM: Coming Up Threes Kells Irish Pub Festival Tent (Back Parking Lot)12PM: An Daire Irish Dance1:30PM: Kells Pipers2PM: Grafton Street3:30PM: Yeates Irish Dance4:15PM: Kells Pipers4:30PM: Sami and The Groove6PM: Murray School of Irish Dancing w/Mike Beglan & Geraldine Murray6:45PM: Coming Up Threes9PM: St. James Gate10:30PM: Sami and the Groove Kells Brewery, 210 NW 21st Ave (Inside)1PM: Boys of Malin3PM: St. James Gate5PM: Grafton Street7PM: Royal Enfield9PM: Wil Kinky Band11PM DJ Jupiter Kells Brewery Festival Tent (Parking Lot)1:30PM: An Daire Irish Dance3PM: O’Douling5pm: Yeates Irish Dance6PM: Kells Pipers7PM: Wil Kinky Band9PM: Hans and The Wanted SUNDAY, MARCH 17 Kells Irish Pub, 112 SW 2nd Ave (Inside)11AM: O’Douling1PM: Wil Kinky Band3PM: Boys of Malin5PM: Cul an Ti7PM: St. James Gate9PM: Royal Enfield11PM: Grafton Street Kells Irish Pub Festival Tent (Back Parking Lot)10AM: Murray Irish Dance11:30AM: Beltaine1PM: Kells Pipers1:15PM: An Daire Irish Dance2PM: St. James Gate3:30PM: An Daire Irish Dance4:30PM: Coming Up Threes6PM: Kells Pipers6:15PM: Yeates Irish Dance7PM: Grafton Street9PM: Sami and The Groove Kells Brewery, 210 NW 21st Ave (Inside)12PM: Boys of Malin2PM: Beltaine4PM: Grafton Street6PM: Sami and The Groove8PM: O’Douling10PM: St. James Gate Kells Brewery Festival Tent (Parking Lot)12PM: Murray Irish Dance1PM: Sami and The Groove2:30PM: Kells Pipers3PM: O’Douling4:30PM Kells Pipers5PM: Yeates Irish Dance6PM: Royal Enfield9PM: Austin Randle