The 25th Annual Manhattan Irish Fest Begins With A 5k

The 25th Annual Manhattan Irish Fest will be held on March 1st and 2nd in downtown Manhattan.The Irish American Society of County Will (IASCW) is once again the official Fest host in conjunction with the Village of Manhattan. The always popular parade will begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 2nd beginning on North Street then proceed to State Street. The parade is led by runners participating in the Irish Fest 5K.

In 2018 the IASCW officially announced that the King & Queen Scholarship will forever be named the“Michael J. McHugh Memorial King & Queen Scholarship”. Mike was a lifelong Manhattan area resident and business owner who dedicated himself to the community. He was a founding member of the IASCW in 1981 and one of the founding organizers of the Manhattan Irish Fest. Mike gave back to his community in many ways and loved to talk about his Irish heritage.

The 2019 MIF Committee is proud to announce the 2019 winners of the Michael J. McHugh Memorial King & Queen Scholarship. The King award goes to Jason Cler; and the Queen award goes to Holly Hilebrand, both of Lincoln-Way West High School. Each student will receive a $1000 scholarship toward the school of his/her choice. The Manhattan Irish Fest has awarded $29,000 in scholarships since 2004.

Manhattan Irish Fest will offer Irish heritage and culture through, bagpipers, Irish dancers, Irish entertainment, food and drink. Activities will take place at the Main Tent on Park Street. Entrance buttons are $7 in advance and $10 at the gate.

Net proceeds go back into the community to organizations such as: Manhattan Neighborhood Food Pantry; Operation Care Package; Manhattan Youth Athletic Association; Manhattan Fire Department Local 4991; Manhattan Park District; and local baseball and rugby clubs.

For tickets go www.manhattanirishfest.com