Puerto del Carmen’s Old Town harbour was filled with many shades of green yesterday as the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations took hold of the resort. Thousands were in attendance to watch all of the fantastic live acts perform on the main stage.
The day started with a mass at the church of Nuestra Señora de Lourdes in the Old Town. Many were seated inside of the church, however, there was also a large crowd outside of the church watching the mass as it took place.
After that, everyone marched down to the Plaza de el Varadero for the opening of the main celebration area which featured a huge stage, various stalls for bars, as well as the attendance of Saborea Lanzarote who brought the taste of Lanzarote to the event.
The celebrations started at 12 noon with an exchange of flags before the Tias Mayor took to the stage to give a speech. In his speech, José Juan Cruz, recognised the special relationship between Ireland & Lanzarote, recognising the decades of work and commitment from the Irish that have chosen Puerto del Carmen as their home and place of work.
Cabildo Councillor, Nori Machin, took to the stage afterwards to highlight Saborea Lanzarote’s participation in this year’s celebrations which featured two large stalls – one for the sale of local Lanzarote products (wines, cheeses, etc) and one for freshly cooked food including roasted pork, local Lanzarote potatoes, and more.
After Machin, the Honorary Consul of Ireland, Eileen Izquierdo Lawlor, took to the podium to thank everyone for their participation, and to emphasise that events such as these should be celebrated in a time of such conflict. Before handing the microphone back to the organisers, Lawlor of course gave a big well done to Irish actress, Jessie Buckley, for her Best Actress Oscar win.
2026 AWARD WINNERS
Following the opening speeches, this year’s 5 Irish Awards winners were presented with their awards on stage. The winners included:
- Ryan Chapman (in memory of Charlie Chapman, Craic N’ Ceol)
- Johnny & Josie Crowley (musicians & former owners of Bodhran Bar)
- Padraig Coffey (the Irish Anvil Bar)
- Dave & Marie Murphy (The Aul Triangle)
- Ann Leneghan (Weddings by Ann Leneghan)
The winners were presents with their awards individually, before taking a group photograph on stage.
A GUINNESS BEFORE THE PARTY STARTS
To close the opening ceremony, officials from the Tias Ayuntamiento and Cabildo, as well as Dicey Reilly’s very own Brendan Byrne, and Eileen Izquierdo Lawlor, were all handed a pint of Guinness to toast and drink.
THE PARTY STARTS
The stage cleared, the Plaza de el Varadero filled up, and Al Murphy & Jordan Kay took to the stage to kick off the celebrations.
By this time the square really was full to the brim, with hundreds gathered in front of the mainstage and many more at the various stalls around the edge of the square buying pints & grabbing a bite to eat.
Celtic Roots followed 2:15pm, Dave Courtney & Johnny Grogan at 3:55pm, Gayle O’ Donovan at 5:25pm, Matt Keane & Band at 6:35pm, Sean Magee at 8:30pm, and Nathan Carter & Band closed the night from 10:20pm until midnight.
THE PARADE
Of course, it wouldn’t be St. Patrick’s Day in Puerto del Carmen without a parade. Here, thousands lined the seafront road in the resort to watch as various Canarian carnival groups, Irish dance groups, floats, classic cars, and more paraded by.
The parade started at 5pm at the Hotel San Antonio and ended at around the Hotel Fariones area. From there everyone who attended the parade returned to the main square to enjoy the rest of the celebrations.
THE BEST ST. PATRICK’S DAY YET
As always, thanks to the hard work of Tias Ayuntamiento, Lanzarote Cabildo, Kalma Eventos, Brendan Byrne, and all of those who collaborated, this year’s celebration was even better than last year.
The St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Puerto del Carmen continue to grow in popularity year-on-year, and we’re sure that next year is going to be even better. Well done to everyone involved, and here’s to next year!
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