St. Patrick’s Day fun on tap
While 20,000 people are expected to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in the Gaslamp Quarter, the 31st annual St. Patrick’s Day Open Reading of Irish Poetry and Prose at D.G.Wills Books, will draw a crowd of its own.
Residents are invited to read their favorite selections from James Joyce, William Butler Yeats, Samuel Beckett, Oscar Fingal O’Flaherty Wills Wilde, Edmund Burke, George Bernard Shaw, Sean O’Casey, beginning at 7 p.m. at the landmark La Jolla bookstore at 7461 Girard As usual, Messrs. Guinness and Harp will officiate the proceedings. (858) 456-1800, www.dgwillsbooks.com.
Downtown, more than 60,000 square feet of green Astroturf will cover the s Gaslamp Quarter for the annual ShamRock St. Patrick’s Day celebration.
More than 20,000 revelers are expected to pack the Gaslamp Quarter for the festival, which is in its 14th year.
There will be two stages of entertainment, go-go dancers, Irish food and green beer. Scheduled to perform are the the Young Dubliners, the ShamRockers, The Fooks, No Duh, DJ BDP, DJ Brent Bartel and DJ G*Roy and the Irish Step Dancers.
The festival runs from 4 p.m. to midnight. The main entrance is at Sixth Avenue and G Street. Admission for the 21-and-up party is $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the event.
Other events to mark the wearing of the green include;
— The San Diego Symphony Winter Pops concert with Irish guitarist Brian Baynes, Eric Rigler on uilleann pipes, and Siobhan O’Brien with vocals. 7:30 p.m. March 17, Symphony Hall, 750 B St., San Diego. $20-$85. (619) 235-0804, www.sandiegosymphony.com.
— Music by Susan McCrea and Soul Seduction along with taste samples by Del Mar Rendezvous will be featured at a St. Patrick’s Day event from 6 to 9 p.m. March 17 at Del Mar Plaza’s Ocean View Deck, 1555 Camino del Mar. There will also be a drawing to win 500 Plaza Dollars. www.delmarplaza.com.
— St. Patty’s Day Bash with Lexington Field & Geezer, 8 p.m. March 17. Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros, Solana Beach. Ticket prices vary. (858) 481-8140, www.bellyup.com.