Tampa's Hillsborough River will be turning bright green again soon

River O'Green Fest, Tampa Photo by City of Tampa Facebook

​It's almost time to dust off the "Kiss me I'm Irish" shirts for the annual River O'Green St. Patrick's Day event in Tampa, Florida. This vibrant celebration of Irish culture and heritage is one of the most popular St. Patrick's Day events in Florida, and it is a must-see for anyone who wants to experience the true spirit of this holiday. This year the event, which is free to attend, will take place on Saturday, March 18 from 11a.m.-5p.m. at the Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in downtown.

The highlight of the event is using a non-toxic dye to turn the Hillsborough River into a vibrant shade of kelly green, a spectacle that attracts thousands each year.
"The river provides a perfect backdrop to the Irish-themed celebration," the city's Facebook event notes in part furthering that the event will also feature live music, traditional Irish demonstrations, vendors and more.

This year, the schedule of events is as following:

• 11a.m. – River dyeing
• 11a.m. to 5p.m. – Hurling Demonstrations by DSM Sports Marketing, Inc.
• 11:15a.m. to 12:45p.m. – Paddy O’Furniture musical performance
• 1:15p.m. to 2:45p.m. – Irish Buskers musical performance
• 3p.m. – Pet Costume Contest sponsored by Barrymore Hotel
  
  

As it stands, almost nine thousand people have marked that they are "interested" in the event on the Facebook event page, and another 600+ have indicated they will be going.

Currently, the 10-day forecast suggests that thunderstorms will be possible on the day of the event, but there is still plenty of time for that to change.
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You can find more information about the River O'Green Fest in Tampa on the city's official website here.