RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The start of Richmond’s outdoor festival season returns this weekend with Shamrock the Block. The event is in its 17th year and organizers say festivalgoers can expect their annual favorites.
“We’re going to have live music all day long, food, drinks and, of course, people,” said Mike Murphy, managing partner for Three One One Productions, the production company putting on the festival. “It’s the first event of the season so people want to get out of the house. Everyone wears green.”
Perhaps the biggest change-up this year is location. Organizers have moved the event one street over on Leigh Street, between the Bon Secours training facility and Movieland. The festival had previously been on Arthur Ashe Boulevard.
Murphy told 8News the festival outgrew the previous space, and ongoing development in the area was the reason behind the move. He also touts big changes are in store for food options.
“There’s going to be some surprises this year that we’re going to keep under wraps,” he explained. “We hope that this will be the beginning of a lot of more food choice, and better-quality food, and more reflective of the Richmond food scene.”
Shamrock the Block runs from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 11. The festival is free to attend, and children and leashed dogs are welcome. The Richmond Police Department announced that a section of Leigh Street would be closed and unavailable for parking.
