Food brings people together and can be a great way for your employees to build upon a skill set that will serve them and your loved ones outside of team building.
Annual St. Patrick’s Open Day 2022
You’re very welcome to a whole new Irish Arts Center: an institution transformed in our capacity to entertain, inform, explore, and amaze, but still to our core the same warm, hospitable home. Join us this St. Patrick’s season for a special Open Day with live music and dance, crafts, and a free sampling of our educational offerings.
“Irish Arts Center’s annual extravaganza . An Irish favorite for kids and parents”—TIME OUT NEW YORK
Presented with generous support from the Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of New York
CAFÉ
12pm
Music performance: Mia Theodoratus (harp) and Shane Kerwin (whistle)
1pm
Music performance: Pamela Jean Agaloos (vocals) and Matthew Diaz (guitar)
2pm
Music performance: Cleek Schrey (fiddle)
THEATRE
12pm
Music performance: IAC’s Community Céilí Band (traditional Irish music)
12:45pm
Dance performance and lesson: Niall O’Leary School of Irish Dance (Irish step)
1:30pm
Music performance: The Down Hill Strugglers (American old time string band trio)
2:30pm
Film screening: U.S. premiere of Tírdhreacha agus Fuaimdhreacha (followed by Q and A with Clare Sands)
This short documentary gives a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process of multi-instrumentalist and singer Clare Sands as she travels around the four provinces of Ireland and through the four seasons, working with four sets of collaborators to write new music.
3:30pm
Closing ritual: Welcoming the spring
Musician Clare Sands will teach an Irish language song featured in Tírdhreacha agus Fuaimdhreacha, and dancer Jonathan Matthews will lead the audience through creative movement prompts to help us dance and sing our way into the spring season.
STUDIO CLASSROOM
12pm-3pm
Arts & crafts
Explore the art of printmaking, discover the NYC Tree Alphabet by artist Katie Holten, and plant a clover to take home.
LIBRARY CLASSROOM
12:30pm-1pm
Sample class: Intro to the Irish language for kids
1:15pm-2pm
Sample class: Intro to the Irish language for adults
2:15pm-2:45pm
Sample class: Irish music education sampler for kids
(Learn about and listen to the harp, fiddle, and bodhrán)
3pm-3:30pm
Sample class: Irish music education sampler for adults
(Learn about and listen to the harp, fiddle, and bodhrán)
FUN ST. PATRICK’S DAY TEAM BUILDING IDEAS
Taking the time out of your busy week to celebrate fun occasions and holidays will help your team build memories, bond, and get to know each other better. So this St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th, use this exciting holiday to bring your teams closer together. Check out our St. Patricks’s Day team building ideas and find the right session for your team!
1. St. Patrick’s Day Happy Hour
Nothing says St. Patrick’s Day like happy hour, so treat your team to a fun drink experience where they can learn and have fun together. Since St. Patricks’s Day lands on Friday in 2023, why not wrap up early and celebrate together?
- Beer Tasting: Guinness may be the best-selling beer in Ireland, but locals enjoy all types of beer, including lagers and craft beer. Invite your team to learn about the world of beer during a beer tasting class, and learn all about brewing and pouring while having fun through polls and trivia.
- Cocktail Making: Your team can learn how to shake, stir and pour delicious cocktails from the comfort of their home with a virtual mixology class. Choose a few yummy cocktails like Irish Whiskey Ginger or Irish Mule, and send your team a cocktail kit and ingredients to recreate them at home.
- Whiskey Tasting: Support an Irish-owned company, and give your team a unique experience with a virtual whiskey-tasting experience! They will receive a deluxe tasting box including well-established Irish whiskey brands and ‘new wave’ flavors.
2. St. Patrick’s Day Arts And Crafts
Art classes are fun hands-on activities that can help us destress and practice mindfulness, so invite your team to unwind through a fun craft class!
- Painting Class: Let your inner creative loose as you paint away a masterpiece inspired by the Irish countryside or a famous Irish painter. Send your team an all-inclusive paint kit, and have a virtual paint instructor guide them through this painting class.
- Terrarium Making: Building a terrarium is a relaxing experience; your team can design, assemble and decorate the perfect home for a succulent and learn how to care for it. For a fun St.Patrick’s Day twist, they can decorate their planters as a pot of gold or a Leprechaun hat or include a luck-themed decorative rock.
- Origami: Invite an origami expert to teach your team how to fold origami shamrocks and other spring creations like flowers or butterflies for an easy and low-cost alternative.
