Showtime Sound Blog

Who can say no to a great party?

With live entertainment, bagpipers, and beer?
In Washington, D.C.?
On St. Patrick's Day?

Only party poopers. And old people, maybe.

It's safe to say that just about every person in the modern world enjoys a great party—especially when the dress code calls for the-more-green-the-better and flip cup is encouraged.

Cue ShamrockFest.

America’s largest St. Paddy’s Day festival

ShamrockFest is America’s largest St. Paddy’s Day festival, where thousands come to rock their shamrocks to widely-hailed bands of Celtic and Alternative rock.

This past March 11, we set up shop and settled in for some fun at the RFK Stadium Festival Grounds in Washington D.C. This was our 8th year handling this massive event and loading in all of our own inventory. We supplied and set up everything needed to cover five stages plus DJ stations—complete audio, lighting, backline and staging.

Before the Celtic rock bands took the stage, before the kegs were tapped, before the party games were set up, before the Irish dancers put on their shoes, before the carnival rides were assembled, and even before the first bagpiper piped, we prepared the way.

Our goal was to make each band, each dancer, and each person who stepped foot onto one of our stages or behind one of our DJ consoles, look and sound bigger than life. Talent can shine the brightest once all the details are in place. That's us. That's what we do—and we love doing it. 

Our crew set up for Dropkick Murphys, House of Pain, Coolio (Irish? Huh.), Carbon Leaf, and Street Dogs to name just a few of the bands.

As the party worn on, we were there, making sure everything went smoothly and perfectly. No staging issues. No audio malfunctions (that's embarrassing; ask Mariah). No burnt out lights.

The atmosphere was set. The crowd went wild. Everyone had a blast.

When the festivities ended and crowd mass exited, we closed up shop. From start to finish, from set up to clean up, our team handled it. All accomplished with precision and mastery in between beer pong tournaments. Just kidding.

Are you planning an event?

If you're planning an event like this one, scheduling a conference or corporate event, or preparing for a fundraiser for the first time, download our Event Planning Timeline And Checklist. The advice inside will save you valuable time and some money.

And, if you need a production team to handle event logistics and take your event from good to oh-my-god-this-event-kicks-ass!, give us a call.

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