Won VIP tickets through Yelp this year! Thanks Yelp! Giving this a three stars because I think this event could be better, though it was okay. The weather sucked and maybe the event hosts could have heated seating areas? I would even pay a dollar to just sit under a heated tent and enjoy my beer with some good music. Came early to avoid long lines but came to see lots of beer lines so you were never waiting for a new beer. Though, there were no carnival games as advertised but corn hole. Sure there are your typical festival/fair shacks but where's the Irish food? Pizza food truck and funnel cake, Turkey leg galore is great but lemme get a bake potato or something. Lots porter potty's so never stress if you feel the urge. Not sure if I'll attend next year just due to how cold it is but I'm glad I attended this year. read more

It may not be easy being green but this is the perfect music festival to celebrate your greenness! Shamrockfest is a gathering of all things Irish. The bands are fun. If you need a kilt or beads, chances are good that you'll find one here. Parking is $20 and they only take cash. There are buses and metro, if you plan your route. My dream scenario would be getting rid of VIP and just selling one type of ticket. Pricing is cheaper when you buy four tickets. There aren't lots of food choices but you can find some Irish themed munchies. Most attendees dress in costume, which makes the event festive and fun. Wear comfy shoes since you are basically walking around a giant parking lot. The "bathrooms" are porta pots. The artist lineup is featured on the Facebook and Twitter pages of Shamrockfest. If you exit the area, you can't return. read more

Positives: -Lots of music -Lots of port-a-potties -No long beers lines Negatives: -$25 (really $30 after tax and fees) ticket to get in -$10 beer tickets or 3 for $20 -Beer (lack of) options=Miller Lite and Guinness (this is actually not a negative...I would drink Guinness out of a sweaty gym shoe) in a 16 oz. plastic cup -No liquor -Huge space making the distance to walk to each "station"exhausting after being there for hours -Nowhere to sit down to eat, thus we opted for the pavement -LONG food lines Though I had a great time with my friends, I will have to say that the negatives outweighed the positives by far! If I am buying a $10 beer ticket at an outdoor festivals in a super-sized parking lot, that beer better be a freakin' 32 oz. tumbler. And of course, they kinda rope you into buying 3 beer tickets because then your beer is really only about 7 bucks. Still. A $7 Miller Lite draft?!? Um, no. I can get a craft beer at a nice restaurant for cheaper than that. This was hands down the most expensive festival I have ever attended. I paid $30 to get in and then spent another $60 in beers. $60 in beers! And I was still standing. Thumbs down! read more

I rarely give out a bad review I usually am pretty positive and try to be understanding, but, there is always an exception. This was my second year attending shamrockfest and it's looking like it maybe my last. Last year was great, great line up, easy to get beer and the set up had a great flow to it. Last year I didn't get vip tickets but after seeing the area and realizing that it was probably worth the extra money this year I splurged..... Yeah, big mistake. I heard that the event is now being managed by another company so I assume that's why everything changed. First of all they totally switched the lovely flow that previous years have proven works. This year they stuck the VIP section smack in the middle and ultimately separated the entire event, I had a vip ticket so to me it was okay, but there was no "VIP stage" just a tiny tent with a Dj.... And the other 2 across the lot were way better so I didn't even waste my time there. Second, and probably the biggest problem I've heard was the beer situation. Okay people who run this event, have you ever drank at a concert before? It's so fun, why would you ruin that for us? The beer trucks were late, and the VIP lines took 30 minutes to get one beer. They tried to "make it up" and posted that unlimited beer was until 9 on Facebook! Like I go to shamrockfest to check my Facebook. Everyone was very upset they spent so much extra money to waste the day standing in line to get a drink! We ended up buying beers while another member of the group waited in the beer line. The VIP section didn't have the activities like last years section. There are VIP portapottys which is pretty nice.... But then got really gross. The food court like any event is super over priced, my boyfriend got the pizza and it's literally 7-11 pizza, and at $5 a slice. The funnel cake however was worth every penny!! The performers were awesome, as always, and that's the only reason I didn't give this event 1 star. I love Irish events and I'm really upset that this one has taken a turn for the worse. I hope the new management realizes their mistakes and fixes them for future shamrockers. read more

Shamrock Fest - Lots and lots of kilts and friends - Festivals Near Me

Well, we are officially done with Shamrockfest. We went several years ago and it was a lot of fun. There used to be a huge VIP area, great bands, getting a beer was never a problem, and there were plenty of things to do (DJ tents, photo trailers, mechanical bull, games etc). Now, under new management, you have the privilege of paying a minimum of $60 (early bird rate) to stand in an hour long line to get ONE beer. There is nothing else to do in the VIP area except buy food and use the port-a-johns. There is a single DJ tent in the regular area with hardly anyone in it, and a couple of stages. That's it. Oh, and the cherry on top is that AFTER most people bought the VIP tickets they announced that the VIP beer would only be available from 3-8 PM, with beer and cocktails for purchase from 8-10 and the event ending at 11. That is TOTAL greedy BS on their part. VIP tickets used to get you beer until an hour before the event ended. We waited in hours of traffic on I-95, took off work, paid $120 for tickets and $20 to park, all so we could walk in and leave because of how lame this event was. We weren't even the only people walking out without even getting a beer. What a waste of a day. read more

Shamrock Fest - The VIP beer line - good luck getting more than one drink per hour! - Festivals Near Me

One of my favorite festival locally. Great price point for all of the acts. So stoked that the Hiball Events has bought the festival back. I am looking forward to the expanded line up. They brought the massive VIP DJ tent and VIP that use to be there. I see they have added the rides which is always a ton of fun. read more

2019 I'm excited to hear that HiBall has taken back Shamrockfest. They throw an amazing NYE party so I'm excited to see what they are going to bring back to Shamrockfest. We stoped going after awhile when it was taken over by another company because the quality of everything ( bands , bathrooms , food , alcohol ) dropped. read more

My friends and I cant wait for Shamrockfest this year. 10 years later the original promoters are back and planning to bring back more stages and heated tents. It was freezing the past few years so this is a greater added amenity. I also already like some of the entertainment line up since it's different from previous years. Who doesn't love andrew wk? It's going to be fun. read more

Shamrock Fest is a blast! Cant wait for 2019 because this year HiBall Entertainment has taken the event back over... they know how to throw a party! So many amazing artists are in the lineup! I'm looking forward to watching all the amazing performers. read more

It loses 5 stars because: The name says it all....SHAM-rock fest. Expensive to get in, ok beer, expensive cart food (which tastes good though). Last year, it was cold and rainy - the place was barely a quarter full but they still ran out of Guinness. All you could have for your 6 -8$ coupon was some B**Lite. Gavin DeGraw cancelled last minute, the other bands were blah. It gets 2 stars because: The Dropkick Murphys. They came in late in the evening on a miserable day but they atleast made it fun (sort of). The moshpit. While DM was playing, a bunch of guys started a pit right in the center - and that gave a memorable 10 minutes. read more

So excited for this years festival! I saw online that it is a Hiball event this year. They did the original festival. Looking forward to heated tents with great bands! Wahoo! Really looking forward to Shamrock Fest! The bands and DJs look like a lot of fun. Can't wait to get my Irish on!! read more

I personally wasn't expecting a whole lot since I'm not in the Irish Rock scene, but had quite a lot of fun there this year. There were plenty of things to do there including listening to some notable bands like Dropkick Murphys. There were plenty of booths for random things, and plenty of them give out free stuff. Other attractions included were various carnival rides and carnival-type foods. The downside to that is the beer prices. I believe it was around seven to eight dollars for a cup of beer, and there was only the choices between Guinness and Miller Life (I believe). The walking distance between attractions was also a bit far, but that depends if it's a problem for you and for space in anticipation for how many people attend the festival. I had thighs of steel by the end of the night! I didn't expect too much and had an amazing time with the group of friends I came with and would definitely go again next year. read more

Super excited to head back to Shamrockfest with my friends this year. I know its personal preference, but I'm really happy to hear about the new management, which was the origanal people who threw it. Looking forward to alot of bands and DJs. Heated anything is a plus, but I hear its gonna be worlds better than the last couple of years. Line up looks pretty sick already. There is going to be a carnival and the Irish village, and tons of things to do or Win. All ages is back also. Should be alot of fun. Cant wait! read more

Did not realize until we arrived that this festival was in the parking lot of RFK, not in the stadium. Secondly, it was cold and rainy the entire day (not the organizer's fault) but it made for a pretty miserable experience. We'd go into the dance tent occasionally just to stay warm with all the bodies in there. My wife only came to see Gavin DeGraw but he ended up canceling the morning of due to illness. I wanted to see Dropkick Murphys. We stayed all day waiting for them but were so miserable by the end that we listened to 2 songs then left. The lines for the porta potties were ridiculous, too. Other events handle this much better. Won't be coming back to this again, especially for the price. read more

Shamrockfest is so much fun! They always have a lineup that appeals to the crowd that attends the festival. They also do a great job with bringing in some Irish bands to keep it relevant to the holiday. Local bands are awesome and we love the fact that they have drink tents and food tents for the people! We go every year read more

The DC Irish Shamrock Fest is one of the best outdoor events at RFK. Awesome place to drink, people watch, listen to music and have fun. The more people you have the more fun you will have. Transportation advice take the metro. This like the second or third one I have been to. So Yay! I am definitely a fan. read more

I went here last year, and I just really didn't enjoy myself at all. It has easy access from the Metro that drops you off nearly right in front of RFK. My friends and I had bought "VIP" tickets, which allow you access to the "VIP" tent that has supposedly easier access to beer and food. This is a total hoax since it seems that they sold just as many VIP tickets as general admission tickets, and the VIP people were just more serious about getting bombed. You have to wait in long lines for one beer. As people became more and more drunk they started cutting people in line, starting fights, and standing in the front of the line drinking multiple beers at once as to avoid drinking their beer then marching back to the end of the line to wait another hour for a beer. I saw many men and women start and get into drunken fights, people vomiting outside of entertainment tents, and just being all around drunken fools. The music is hit or miss. The DJ tent was okay, but there were tons of drunk men grabbing at any girl who walked into the tent. There were some okay ska bands, but at a whole people were trying too hard to make mosh pits and push each other around. By the end it is just filled with very very inebriated people. Obviously this is the goal for a lot of folks on St Patty's day, so I cannot pass judgement. If you want to get wasted and forget what you did at Shamrock fest, then maybe shamrock fest is for you. If you don't like your shoes to be covered in mud and beer amongst other things I would find something else to do. read more

Do not judge Shamrockfest by the old reviews. Beer Taste Magazine ranks this as the #3 St. Patricks Day Festival in the US! I have been to this event for the past 5 years and it gets better every year. More beer choices, more bathrooms, and they even added places to sit in the VIP areas. This year it is going to be held on March 16th from 1-9PM and yes it is in the RFK parking lot areas, not in the stadium. I read a lot of other reviews about ticket prices versus value so here's my take. The tickets for this event usually go on sale in Sept/Oct timeframe and that is when they are the cheapest. They only go up from there at random times so get your tickets early. Today they are $30 Main Event - $80 VIP (VIP were just $70 a few weeks ago). The VIP tickets gice you your own entrance to the festival, limited places to sit, and all the beer you can drink. I'm not sure what cheapos think it's too much to pay, I pay $120 to golf for four hours and $15 to watch a 2 hour movie so I think having access to 40 different bands and DJ's, access to TV's to catch March Madness games and all that beer for 6 hours is worth it (NOTE - Festival is actually 8 hours but beer sales stop at 7PM so beer is only for 6 hours). The music is all about irish Rock but they do mix it up having had Train and LMFAO in the past. The DJ tents are where the fun really is at as they are just rocking and packed with people having a good time. This aint no sit down foo foo concert event, it's a full up walk around, wait in line, use the port a pottie, check out different bands, drink lots of beer, have a good time FESTIVAL. I am anxious this year to see Sublime with Rome, Virginia Coalition, and my favorite Shamrockfest band Carbon Leaf! Let's pray for good weather! See you there. read more

I attended the Shamrock Fest when they use to hold it in the Ballston area and that was way more fun and organized then the one at the RFK. I decided to go this year with a couple of my girl friends and had a horrible time. The ticket was about $30 after taxes to get in the festival, beer selection was Miller Lite or Guiness at $10 each or 3 for $20. A couple of my friends bought the VIP ticket which cost $97 after taxes!! Their beer selection was wider with Harp, Blue Moon and Red Stripe, but their beer lines and "private" bathrooms area was so cramped they opted to leave that area for the more spacious non-VIP area. The girls complained that the $97 was NOT worth the money. All the bands they wanted to see were playing in the non-VIP section anyways. They are VERY strict with what you bring in. My friend got her 5 hour energy shot confiscated! Food was overpriced and disgusting. $8 for a nasty hamburger and $9 gyros made from left over cheesesteak meat with peppers and onions still in it! Can't expect the porta potties to be anything less than retched. By the time we decided to leave, the crowd started to get rowdy, unruly and obnoxious. The band line up was okay, but the stage placement was odd, with stages next to each other. I would NEVER go back. The metro was a mess getting there and back. The place was filthy and the crowd was young and overbearing! To make matters worst I paid $30 to see 2 bands and to feel disgusting dirty at the end of the night! Not worth the money and definitely don't recommend the VIP section! read more

Had a great time with 4 friends here with VIP tickets. Only disappointments were no warm tent and ran out out hot water/ coffee on a very cold day. read more

Poorly organized. They only had six beer lines for thousands of people. The length of the lines could be measured in football fields. Also, if you had any problems, finding the three event staff that would help was like finding Waldo in a children's book. read more

This was my first time attending this event (2014). I enjoyed myself because of the glorious weather, good live music (hence the 2 stars), people watching, and good company. But on the whole it fell short of my expectations. The biggest shortcoming by far is the limited access to booze. It's as if the event organizers were purposely trying to limit the amount of drinking going on. Seriously, who does that for a St. Patty's Day event?! All that was available was beer (and a limited selection; Guiness, Yuengling, and Miller Lite) and Angry Orchard. I don't have an issue with the high prices of beer tix ($10 for a single or $20 for three), but the lines were off-the-charts ridiculous; at the worst moments, you'd have to wait about 1/2 hour to get a beer, and ONLY one beer--again, it seemed like they were deliberately trying to limit the level of drinking going on. Who needs that? The food was your typical overpriced, greasy county fair stuff: burgers, gyros, pizza, funnel cake, etc. Would have been nice to have a couple of booths with some traditional Irish fare--bring on the Shepherd's pie, or at least some good Irish bangers! There was no seating, except on the pavement or the island greens by the portapotties. By the end of the event, my back was really sore from hours and hours of standing. On the plus side, the live music was really good. The Dropkick Murphys started up right on time and put on a good show. So for that alone, it was worth the high price of admission ($30 after taxes). Still, I doubt I'll be going back again. If you want to celebrate St. Patty's Day the way it was meant to be celebrated (boozin' it up big time), I'd recommend going anywhere else but here. read more

Super excited about Shamrock Fest this year. I've been going for years and have always loved it, but have heard the original event organizers are back producing... so I know this year is going to be good. The keep announcing new additions to the lineup on IG @shamrockfestdc. If you are considering going, don't hesitate! read more

Not impressed at all ! I went to this last year and I will never go again. There wasn't any where to sit - the food was greasy and old - the music was okay.. The lines for drinks were completely ridiculous! It was very unorganized and the one weekend my husband and I got to get away - was wasted on this crap. We left early and went into downtown DC had a slice and crashed in our hotel. St Paddy's is celebrated much better in Brooklyn!!! read more

It was fun because of the great music but the event was too over priced .. Someone wanted me to come there with them I said sure because it's my first time ... Man I had the nastiest $5 slice of pizza ever . Worse than 7 eleven It was over bearing but I was so hungry . And they sell 4$ bottle of water . Like it's some finest . 40$ admission ticket 8$ beer . Useful bring your own Shit ! I feel like the event would be be better inside .. read more

Second time going to this festival in last two years and was seriously too cold to enjoy. They should of rescheduled or had some heating tents. I came down from Columbus Ohio to make the trip and feel like I waisted my time on VIP passes. Last year was awesome this year was a major let down. But I'm coming back next year to give things another chance. read more

At first let me start out with I factor in everything with my reviews and comments. This year's Shamrock fest(2015) was horrible!!! This is the third time I attended this festival and this was the worst year yet. I was told that the vendors that funded and hosted the previous years festival went out of business and there was a new vendor. Needless to say this year was a waste of time and money! My group and I spent $70.00 for VIP tickets and was sadley disappointed. There were extremely long lines for beer, no games, no where to sit and to top it off the food was a very small selection. As opposed to last year there were numerous amounts of food vendors which you could choose from. Along with that we did not receive a map of the event and a schedule of the bands playing so we did not get to hear the bands that we wanted. Also merchant vendors were limited to about five vendors as opposed to the previous years there were about fifteen. When it is all said and done I will not be attending this event again if the same vendors from 2015 are hosting 2016 Shamrock fest. If there was less that one star I would have gave it that! read more

My advice: know what you're getting yourself into.... Supremely disappointed. And FYI this is NOT a family event. The bad: They don't give you a map or schedule of events.the schedule wasn't even posted on their website. There was no way to know what band was on when/ where. Beer lines were insanely long. There was NO Irish food. At all. And the food that was available was terrible and expensive ($12 for chicken fingers and fries. $5 for fries). There were about 10 tables for thousands of people. No where else to sit. The sets for the band were so short. You barely had time to get into the music before they were pulled off stage. People were allowed to smoke! ! This was maybe the worst part for me. I couldn't even enjoy being near the stage because I was inhaling so much second hand smoke. AND there were people smoking pot all over the place. Seriously? ! ? That will tell you about the lack of security..... The crowd was very young, and totally trashed by about 6. People falling down and puking. The good: There were plenty of Porter potties, but no soap. read more

Pros: - early bird tickets are worth it - unlimited beer in VIP - good choices of bands and DJs Cons: - CSC is completely rude (supervisors esp) - small cups/ mugs from 2012 where much better - location of venue, VIP section was smaller and no entertainment that we liked that was in the area - kept going back and forth to VIP to get beer from main event, at least have one VIP line in main event to help with beer flow.. - a lot of safely issues regarding grounds and lots of curbs to trip on and fall.. And a lot of holes in ground to trip on.. Not good with drunk crowds - selection of beer could be better... Only had four choices... - need more seating and tents to hang out at... - Bathrooms were bad, needed more of those... 2013 and 12 where much better! - organization of the whole security and telling us where to go to start the festival... Some got in yelling fights Beacuse we were confused and didn't know what was going on... And got yelled at.. - substance abuse was HUGE this year--- security checks need to be better... - Age limit needs to be a MUST ( saw a little kids with parents drinking away, and they would be pushed to the DJ tents where kids and adults where drinking, spilling, and using substances... NOT OK!! - should be 18 to enter and 21 to drink - carnival rides SUCKED My boyfriend and I have been three times, and this was by far the worst... Not going next year! Overall, you can go to a bar and have open bar events and still get as trashed.. Sorry Shamrock Fest.. HUGE disappointment read more

Would give it ZERO stars if that was an option. Worst Irish Festival ever. WAAAAAAY too expensive ($40 admission, $8 for a can of Yuengling, $10 for three chicken fingers with a few fries), terrible venue, and nothing about it very Irish. The only good part of it was Scythian and Gaelic Storm playing. Blues Traveler looked washed up, and there is nothing Irish about them anyway. Will never understand the fools who dress up like it's an Irish Halloween. This was a glorified frat boy party using St. Patrick's Day as an excuse to get drunk. Simply not worth the money. As a veteran of well run Irish Festivals - Dublin, OH, Pittsburgh, Dayton, Milwaukee - this festival completely stinks compared to those. read more

Just went to it on Saturday with 4 close friends and had an amazing time. Found a beer ticket! WINNING! Amazing bands, music, the Sheppard's Pie was great. I have 0 bad things to say about this. It was all an amazing experience and one I will never forget. Fighting Jamesons are who I came to see and they never disappoint. Very talented group of dedicated musicians. read more

looks great, i was wondering, can you buy tickets at the event itself? or must they be purchased online before the event? not a review, obviously, but i couldn't find the answer anywhere. read more