The Worcester Irish Music Festival will be held on Saturday and Sunday, June 14 & 15, 2008. The Festival will be under a 100'x120' tent in the parking lot of the Hibernian Cultural Centre and Fiddlers' Green which is at the corner of Green and Temple Streets in the City's Canal District.

Music groups performing at the Festival include Black 47 (from NYC), The Town Pants (from BC, Canada), Seven Nations (from Florida), the local U2 cover band, The Joshua Tree, the Brennan Brothers, Fergus, and Mulligan's Fancy.

The Festival aims to attract thousands over the course of the weekend. The proceeds are going to benefit the 501(c)(3) Worcester Hibernian Cultural Foundation, Inc. to buy the Hibernian Cultural Centre building that the organization is currently renting. The Hibernian Cultural Centre has been in existence since 1898. Its first home was on Trumbull Street in Worcester, then the Centre moved around to various locations in the City. The Festival will not only benefit the Hibernian Cultural Centre, but beyond that, it will be a great event for the Canal District and for the City of Worcester.

We're continuing to secure sponsors for the event. The levels of sponsorship include the following:

1. Pot of Gold: $15,000 - presenting sponsor whose name and logo will receive top billing leading up to and during the Festival, in addition to billing at the stage, concessions, on the Festival tee-shirts, and inside of the marketing materials during the Festival; includes 2 teams in the Boiled Cabbage O'Lympics;
2. Shamrock: $10,000 - sponsors' names and logos will be included in marketing and advertising materials leading up to and during the Festival, in addition to billing at the stage, concessions, on the Festival tee-shirts, and inside of the marketing materials during the Festival; includes 2 teams in the Boiled Cabbage O'Lympics
3. Harp: $5,000 - ensures billing at the stage, on the Festival tee-shirts, and marketing materials during the Festival; includes 1 team in the Boiled Cabbage O'Lympics;
4. Green: $2,500 - ensures billing at the stage, and in marketing materials during the Festival; includes 1 team in the Boiled Cabbage O'Lympics;
5. White: $1,000 - included in marketing materials during the Festival;
6. Orange: $500 - ensures recognition at the Festival;
7. Corned Beef: $250 - ensures recognition at the Festival;
8. Cabbage: $100 - ensures recognition at the Festival.

To sponsor the festival, use the paypal button below:

Additionally, the Worcester Irish Music Festival will feature the first ever (and soon-to-be-world-famous) "Boiled Cabbage O'Lympics" on Sunday, June 15 -- a perfect activity for Father's Day. In short, a team of 2 will race against another team of 2 through an obstacle course which starts by pouring a can of Guinness (shaken, of course) into a plastic pint cup, kicking a head of boiled cabbage through a course of orange cones (pint cup in hand), then throwing a rubber snake in a basket (à la St. Patrick), followed by bobbing for a potato, then passing the cup of black goodness to his/her partner who races back down the course. At the end, depending on how much of the Guinness spilled out of the cup, seconds will be tacked on to teams' times. The winner of the O'Lympics will be awarded the "Cabbage Cup."

(Note that participants will all be at least 21 years of age and that no consumption of Guinness, necessarily, will occur during the activity.)

There is only space for 16 teams of 2 (at $100/team) to compete in the O'Lympics. Spots are filling up quickly! To enter a team, email WorcesterIrishMusicFestival@gmail.com