© 2024
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
🎧 Help keep the Spring Membership Drive short! Support the Buy-Back Campaign today before the Friday, March 29th deadline. Tap here to donate 💖

Previewing the 2nd Annual Sláinte Festival with ArtsQuest's Addyson Young

 ArtsQuest programming specialist Addyson Young (left) and WDIY's Celtic Faire host Rick Weaver (right) discuss the upcoming Sláinte Festival.
ArtsQuest programming specialist Addyson Young (left) and WDIY's Celtic Faire host Rick Weaver (right) discuss the upcoming Sláinte Festival.

Sláinte, the three-day Bethlehem festival dedicated to Irish heritage, is returning for its second year from March 16-18, 2023. ArtsQuest programming specialist Addyson Young stops by WDIY to talk with Celtic Faire host Rick Weaver about the music, food, dance, and drinks that are in store for this year.

The festival is produced in partnership between ArtsQuest and Neville Gardner, the Irish-born owner of Bethlehem businesses Donegal Square and McCarthy’s Red Stag Pub who also co-founded the annual Celtic Classic festival. Gardner will be on-hand at the SteelStacks Visitor Center on Thursday, March 16 to kick off Sláinte with a pre-St. Patrick’s Day dinner and whiskey pairing courtesy of Red Stag Pub.

Music will certainly be the main attraction throughout the festival with bands from Ireland, Scotland, and the Lehigh Valley performing. Amateur players can join in at the free Open Celtic Music Session on Saturday, March 18. The Sláinte youth fiddle competition will also be returning this year, featuring talented young players competing for a cash prize. The youth fiddle competition will take place on Saturday and is free to attend.

The full schedule for Sláinte is below with all events taking place at SteelStacks venues:

Thursday, March 16

Visitor Center at SteelStacks presented by St. Luke's University Health Network
6:30-8 p.m.: The McCarthy's Red Stag Pub Whiskey and Food Pairing

Friday, March 17

Musikfest Café presented by Yuengling
5:30 p.m. - Doors Open
6-7 p.m. - Poor Man’s Gambit
7:30-9 p.m. - Téada
9:30-11 p.m. - Heron Valley

Fowler Blast Furnace Room
6 p.m. - Doors Open
6:30-8 p.m. - 99 Stringz
8:15 p.m. - Guinness Tasting *$19 ticket add-on
9:30-11 p.m. - Chivalrous Crickets

Palette & Pour
5:30-7:30 p.m. - Dave Fry
8-11 p.m. - The Jolly Tars

Saturday, March 18

Musikfest Café presented by Yuengling
10a.m. - Doors open
11a.m.-1 p.m. - Open Celtic Music Session *Free to attend and participate
2-3:30 p.m. - The River Drivers
4-5:30 p.m. - Fig for a Kiss
6-8 p.m. - Téada
9-11 p.m. - The Young Dubliners

Fowler Blast Furnace Room
11:30 a.m. - Doors Open
12-1 p.m. - Jimmy Farrell
1:30-2 p.m. - O’Grady Quinlan Academy of Irish Dance
2:30-3:30 p.m. - Liz Simmons
4-4:30 p.m. - O’Grady Quinlan Academy of Irish Dance
4:45-6 p.m. - Intro to Contra Dancing with Ridge, Ben & Tom
6 p.m. - Guinness Tasting *$19 ticket add-on
7:15-8:30 p.m. - Intro to Contra Dancing with Ridge, Ben & Tom
9-10:30 p.m. - Heron Valley

Palette & Pour
1-3:30 p.m. - The Irish Whiskey Tasting
4-7 p.m. - Steve Walker
8-11 p.m. - Piper’s Request

Addyson Young also sings and plays fiddle for Lehigh Valley acoustic Irish folk band Fig for a Kiss. Rick Weaver also sings and plays guitar, octave mandolin, and tenor banjo for Lehigh Valley traditional Irish band Piper's Request. Both bands will be performing at Sláinte this year.

More information and tickets are available at SteelStacks' website.

(Original air-date: 3/9/2023)

Rick Weaver is the host of Celtic Faire, WDIY's show dedicated to Celtic music which airs Thursdays from 7 - 9 pm. Rick is also a musician, playing in the Lehigh Valley-based traditional Irish band Piper's Request along with fellow WDIY volunteer Megan Everett. Rick plays banjo, guitar, mandolin and fiddle! Rick also currently serves on the WDIY Board of Directors as Member Representative.
Related Content