Festival News

The 2023 annual North Texas Irish Festival returns to Dallas' Fair Park

The North Texas Irish Festival returns for 2023.

Photo courtesy of North Texas Irish Festival

The annual North Texas Irish Festival is back for 2023, returning to Fair Park March 3-5, with music, dance, and culture.

It's one of the largest Irish festivals in the US, with music, dancing, storytelling, chef demonstrations, and more on multiple stages, indoors and outdoors, and it notoriously takes place rain or shine.

Attendees will find Irish-themed beer and whiskey tastings, genealogy research opportunities, animal rescue groups, shopping, child-friendly entertainment, and free arts and crafts for the kids.

“It’s music, it’s food and drink, it’s dance, it’s people connecting with each other,” says Sheri Bush, President of the Southwest Celtic Music Association Inc., the non-profit that produces the festival.

According to a release, the event is produced annually by hundreds of volunteers, some of whom have volunteered for decades, often alongside generations of their families.

Also returning is the North Texas Irish Festival Fun Run, a jaunt through the beautiful grounds of Fair Park on Saturday, March 4, at 8 am. Rgistered participants get a T-shirt, medal, ticket to the North Texas Irish Festival, and two beers after the run if they are of legal drinking age.

Music
Performers include national headliners Sliabh Notes, The Logues, Rory Makem, Moors & McCumber, and Celtic Aire, the premier Celtic and folk ensemble of the U.S. Air Force; and regional performers 5 Second Rule, Behan, Beyond the Pale, Boxing Robin, C. Michael Price, Cleghorn, Colin Urwin, Emerald Accent, GoldRing, Jiggernaut, KinFolk, Plunk Murray, Reel Treble, River Driver, Slugger’s Rule, Sombati, The Selkie Girls, The Whalers, Threadneedle St, Tuatha Dea, Tullamore, Vintage Wildflowers, and Wolf Loescher.

Dance
Participating troupes include The McLane School of Irish Dance, Maguire Academy of Irish Dance, Inishfree School of Irish Dance-Dallas, McTeggart Irish Dancers of North Texas, and the Shandon-O’Regan Irish Dance Academy. Irish step dancers perform on a dedicated dance stage and also with musical performers throughout the festival.

Schedule
The event starts Friday night at 6 pm, and entry is free until 7 pm; after 7 pm, it's $15.

The schedule is as follows:

Friday March 3, 6-11 pm
Saturday March 4, 10:30 am-11:30 pm
Sunday, March 5, 11:30 am-7:30 pm

A one-day ticket is $25 on Saturday or Sunday at the gate, while a weekend pass is $45. Tickets are available online at www.NTIF.org, at Tom Thumb and Albertsons stores, and at the gates on the days of the event.

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America's Sweethearts

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders deal with haters in season 3 of Netflix show

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And now, a break from World Cup pandemonium to talk about our favorite and most important girly-sport in Dallas: The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders will return to Netflix for season 3 of America's Sweethearts on Tuesday, June 16.

According to the streaming network, all seven episodes of the season will drop at 2 am Tuesday. Who needs to sleep?

"With 30 veterans returning to auditions and only six spots available for hopeful newcomers, the competition is fiercer than ever," says," says Netflix's Tudum. "As the DCC’s global profile grows, the women at the center must navigate a new level of attention, mounting pressure, and balancing viral visibility with the pursuit of perfection."

According to People, which got an exclusive sneak peek, the season will follow four rookie candidates - Emily A., Jenna, Parker and Journi - vying for spots on the team. In a short clip posted to People's website, the newcomers are battling deep insecurities and pressures of the audition process.

"We're all kind of like scared little puppies. It's hard to feel like you belong when you're in a room full of gorgeous, beautiful, talented women," one of the women says.

Check out the sneak-peek clip here:

The season will also see 30 veterans vying to keep their coveted spots. And if Instagram is to be believed, one beloved squad member gets cut. (Spoiler alert: search #JusticeforKarley.)

The official America's Sweethearts trailer also sees fan favorite Reece Weaver Allman, alongside her husband, talking about the negativity she receives. (Which doesn't seem possible to those who've grown to love sweet Reece over the previous two seasons.)

The theme for this season seems to be dealing with sudden fame, trolls, and personal and professional pressures. To which DCC director Kelli Finglass says in the trailer, "That's why we need to keep them busy and focused and positive. Can't listen to the haters."

Watch the official season 3 trailer here:

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