Dancing to his own music, senior Frank Cressey listens to his favorite artists through headsets during a silent disco. This is one of the many activities to participate in during Kansas City’s 21st annual Irish Fest.
Irish Fest is a three-day celebration of culture, complete with food, concerts from local bands and a Catholic Mass. While Cressey himself is not Irish, he enjoyed the festivities – especially the disco.
“There are three options on the headset, one for each DJ, and its color shows, which you are listening to,” Cressey said. “You are listening to one of them and the person next to you is listening to Taylor Swift and on the other side they could be listening to Kendrick Lamar.”
Sophomore Sophia Nguyen attended to watch two of her friends take part in an Irish dance.
“I’ve been going for the past three or four years to watch the competition,” Nguyen said. “I went to the ballrooms at 8 a.m. to see it, which made it a really long day for me.”
Nguyen spent the rest of her time at the fest browsing vendors who sold items made in Ireland. Other shops sold authentic Irish cuisine, including meat pies and other festival foods, like funnel cake and lemonade.
“I did not buy anything,” Nguyen said. “However, I liked the vendors because there is lots of stuff to see and shop for.”
Entertainment included a variety of bands throughout the weekend, such as The Elders, Gaelic Storm and the Red Hot Chili Pipers and a bagpipe group.
“I got to listen to the Red Hot Chili Pipers, and they were really funny to watch,” Cressey said. “I also watched The Elders, which was cool because my grandpa actually knows some people in the band.”
Being a part of Irish culture, English and social studies teacher Maggie Verschelden goes with her family every year. A central part of the festival is the Catholic Mass, which her family helped prepare for and celebrate.
“My mom was on the committee for the Mass, so she was the one who recruited my dad, sister and I to help,” Verschelden said. “I picked up all of the Mass supplies from Campus Ministry because Irish Fest actually uses our supplies.”
According to Verschelden, she recommends that anyone interested should at least try to commit to coming for an evening.
“It is an awesome weekend that I look forward to every year,” Verschelden said. “You get to see the bands and experience the atmosphere. It is just a really amazing experience.”
