Irish Fest

Billed as "The Premier Irish Experience", Irish Fest 2010 was not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon. The most striking observation was the size of the crowd. It was almost as busy as a evening at Summerfest, and the entire Maier festival grounds were used. Much like Festa Italiana and Polish Fest, it seemed like there were as many Windy City festers as there were from the Brew City.

The big draw of Irish Fest is the music. During the afternoon, all stages were full and there were a number of smaller tent performances throughout the park. I would guess that at any one time there were at least 12 bands and dance troops getting their groove on.

It's good that the music and dancers were so excellent, because the food was not. There seemed to be a dozen stands all selling various corned beef sandwiches and versions of reuben rolls. Even the venerable German establishment, Mader's, was in on the act. We sampled a sandwich, rolls and curry fries. All pretty vanilla and not seasoned properly. The Irish have done much better crafting some of the world's best beers then establishing an interesting cusine.

Ah, the beer. Only one complaint, Irish Fest makes attenders go through the super annoying extra step of buying beer and wine tickets to be traded in for beer and wine at the vendor stands. Scottish and Irish were the only two fests to not allow the free exchange of money for beer. Perhaps they are used to getting screwed by the hated English.

Ratings:

Entertainment is a Paul. Music was great, dancing was great, and there were demonstration of sports including Coed Tug-of-War (not as interesting as it sounds).
Drink would be Guiness, however, the ticket situation drops the rating to a Bud Light.
Food is Bologna on White.
Cost was $15 for adults.
Bathrooms are a Trinity.
Adult vs. Family Fun spectrum is Disney. There was a lot of stuff for kids including mini-golf, usual play ground options and Irish Whiskey tasting.