St Patrick’s Day celebrations turn Trafalgar Square into a gathering place for Irish music, dancing and street food in this Roberts London film, published on 26 March 2017. The visit begins at Embankment and follows the short walk through Villiers Street towards Charing Cross and the square.
Barry arrives looking for lunch and a few performances. What follows is a compact afternoon among the festival crowds, with a smoked pulled pork bun, a look at the parade and views across one of London’s most familiar public spaces.
From Embankment to Trafalgar Square
The film opens at the Tube barriers before emerging into the streets around Embankment. Villiers Street provides the route uphill, with Charing Cross at the top and Trafalgar Square close beyond. The approach makes the celebration feel part of an ordinary London Sunday.
On the way, Barry explains that the weekend’s events follow St Patrick’s Day on the Friday. He is hoping for music, dancing, comedy and something to eat. There is light rain in the air, but Irish flags ahead suggest that the weather has done little to discourage the crowds.
St Patrick’s Day performances in the square
A queue marks the entrance to the festival area. Once through the security check, the green stage becomes the centre of attention, with Nelson’s Column rising above it. People gather facing the performers, while others move between the stage, food stalls and the edges of the square.
The familiar buildings remain visible around the event. St Martin-in-the-Fields, the National Gallery and the surrounding façades give the temporary festival setting a recognisably London backdrop. Irish flags and green hats add colour beneath a changing sky.
The film moves between wider views and moments close to the crowd. It records the experience of being there: finding a way through the square, stopping to watch and then carrying on towards lunch.
A smoked Irish pulled pork bun
Lunch comes from the Irish beef and pork bar. Barry chooses a smoked Irish pulled pork bun with barbecue sauce and slaw. Before trying it, he points out the especially long queue at the pie stall, stretching back towards the edge of Trafalgar Square.
The bun gets its own close view, opened to show the meat and slaw. It proves messy to eat, with some of the filling escaping, but Barry’s verdict is enthusiastic. He settles down to finish it before returning to the entertainment.
That food stop gives the visit a pause between the performances and the parade. The film is as much about spending an afternoon at the celebration as documenting what appears on stage.
Watching the parade
Although Barry initially thinks he may have missed the parade, there is still activity outside the stage area. The camera turns towards the street, where spectators line the route and a decorated vehicle passes through the crowd.
The parade adds another perspective on the event. Inside the square, people gather around the stage; outside, attention follows the procession along the road. Moving between the two gives the short visit a broader sense of the celebration.
A final look across Trafalgar Square
The festival bar is busy too. Barry notices Guinness and Irish cider being carried away, although he explains that lunch and entertainment were the purpose of his own visit. With the pork bun finished and performances watched, it is time to head off.
The closing views return to the square’s fountains, Nelson’s Column and the green stage. They show the scale of the gathering without losing the everyday details of people eating, chatting and watching together.
This article preserves the 2017 celebration as filmed. Its archive date follows the original YouTube publication on 26 March 2017; it is not a current festival programme or a claim that the event took place on the upload date.
