Tulsa is going green this weekend as Tulsa IrishFest returns, bringing music, food and cultural traditions from Ireland to Green Country
Festival celebrates sixth year in Tulsa
Organizers say the event was created to bring an authentic Irish cultural experience to the city while remaining accessible to families. The festival first started in 2018, and after taking a break between 2021 and 2024, organizers say they were excited to bring the celebration back.
“This is our sixth year of Tulsa IrishFest,” said Don Burdick, president of Tulsa IrishFest. “The whole idea was to bring a culturally authentic, family friendly experience to Tulsa.”
Burdick says the event blends Irish traditions with the local spirit of Green Country.
“We fly in bands from Ireland. We have a great kids zone. We have great vendors,” Burdick said. “We really want this to be Green Country meets the Emerald Isle.”
Local brewery creates exclusive Irish stout
Local businesses are also helping bring the festival to life. Cabin Boys Brewery partnered with the festival to create a traditional Irish stout specifically for the event.
“My role in prepping for Irish Fest is figuring out logistics of how to actually have enough liquid for the festival itself, and also making our Irish stout,” said Austin McIlroy, master brewer and co-owner of Cabin Boys Brewery. “It was a really great idea and really fun project that we got to do as a team, to write an actual, very traditional Irish recipe.”
McIlroy said many people associate Irish stout only with Guinness, but there are many different varieties brewed throughout Ireland.
“I think a lot of people forget that Guinness isn’t just the stout in Ireland,” McIlroy said. “There are hundreds of stouts in Ireland.”
The beer brewed by Cabin Boys is mostly only found at IrishFest.
“The Irish stout is basically exclusive to the festival,” McIlroy said.
A festival focused on community
Festival organizers say the event is about more than food and drinks, it’s about bringing people together.
Lisa McIlroy, president and co-owner of Cabin Boys Brewery, said community collaboration has always been central to the business and the event.
“Our mission statement here is ‘crafted for community,’” McIlroy said. “It’s always been really important to us to include and work with other local organizations.”
She added the festival is designed to offer something for everyone.
“There is an activity, there is a beverage, there’s a space for everyone from different lifestyles, different backgrounds to just come and gather at this festival,” McIlroy said.
Sharing Irish culture with everyone
Members of Tulsa’s Irish community say the festival is also an opportunity to share traditions with people who may not be familiar with them.
“Irish is a good thing to be. We’re a happy folk,” said John Dolan, president of the Tulsa Irish American Club. “We like to get together and sing songs and carry on our traditions.”
Dolan says the event allows people from different backgrounds to learn from one another, and visitors don’t have to be Irish to enjoy the celebrations.
“Everybody that comes out here isn’t Irish, but they come out to find out a little bit about our culture,” he said. “We need to find out a little bit about everybody’s culture to enjoy our existence here on this great planet.”
Tulsa IrishFest runs through Sunday with live music, vendors, family activities, and cultural events.