Yorkville to stage St. Patrick’s Day festival Saturday with 5K race, fireworks

Some sense of normalcy will be back in downtown Yorkville for an early St. Patrick’s Day, with a day’s worth of events and live music planned by the city.

This year’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration is set to feature a 5K race at 9 a.m., a leprechaun hunt and an evening fireworks show. All events are scheduled for Saturday, March 13.

“It’s going to be exciting and more details will come, but I think people are just looking for some activity,” Mayor John Purcell said at a City Council meeting.

The 5K race will commence at Southbank BBQ, 129 E. Hydraulic St. Meanwhile, the leprechaun hunt (follow @YorkvilleParksandRec for details), followed by a leprechaun meet-and-greet, is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Riverfront Park.

At noon, the Gleeson Irish Trio will perform at the Law Office, 226 S. Bridge St., followed by a fireworks show at 6:30 p.m. over Route 47 and Countryside Parkway.

Downtown Yorkville bars and restaurants will host live music and serve food and drink specials throughout the day.