Murphys, CA…Can you believe the largest single day event in our area is just three weeks away. Murphys Irish Day is Saturday, March 18, 2023 – 10am to 5pm. It is an Annual Celebration of the Irish! One of the premier annual events in the Mother Lode is Murphys Irish Day. Each year on the third Saturday in March, thousands of people from Northern California and beyond gather in the historic gold rush town of Murphys to honor its Celtic heritage and to celebrate as only the Irish can. Its picturesque Main Street is filled with booths offering handcrafted items, original art, photographs, tasty food, wine, and other beverages. (Photos & Video from 2022 to get you in the mood)

The day begins with a pancake breakfast. At 11 a.m. the swirl of bagpipes heralds a parade of marching bands, classic cars, horses, community organizations, novelty entries, and some of the finest children in the land.

Throughout the day, there is continuous entertainment featuring singers, dancers, musicians, and jugglers.

All this in addition to the charming shops, fine restaurants, and tasting rooms that line historic Main Street and help create what is nationally recognized as one of the finest small towns in America.

The Murphys Business Association creates Irish Day each year with the knowledge that if you visit Murphys once you will want to return again and again.

Sponsored by the Murphys Business Association, Murphys Irish Day is a fundraiser for many community projects and non-profit organizations and is the primary fundraiser for the Murphys Business Association and the Murphys Firefighters Association. For more information, contact us at info@visitmurphys.com.

Volunteers needed! Are you friendly and enthusiastic about Murphys? We could use an hour and a half of your time on Irish Day to help us manage traffic and help visitors find where they need to go on the day of the event. In return, we’ll invite you to our volunteer thank-you party at Newsome Harlow. Sign up at http://bit.ly/irishday2023. A huge thank you to all the folks who help every year.

Things to know if you are planning to attend in 2023
Parking is very limited in town these days and we encourage you to take advantage of the free parking available on the beautiful grounds of Ironstone Vineyards and to take the free shuttle into town. The shuttle runs between 9:30am and 5:30pm and drops you off in the parking area behind the Arbors Shopping Area next to the Black Sheep Tasting Room just a short walk off of Main Street and the main event area. Ironstone has impressive plantings of daffodils and other spring bulbs so it’s worth the visit. Parking will not be available until the afternoon in the Black Bart parking lot across from the Community Park as it is used for parade staging and parking on the surrounding sidestreets is extremely limited due to their narrowness and use as detour routes during this event. We need to make sure that emergency vehicles can get through and around town and that private driveways do not get blocked….please be considerate! It would certainly wreck the day if you found your vehicle had been towed.

Whether you plan to park at Ironstone or in the free parking lot at the Old Schoolhouse on Jones Street, or on the surrounding side streets, please come early. In the hour before the parade begins at 11am, the area around Murphys can become congested, traffic moves slowly, and the shuttles can get backed up. We’d hate to see you miss the parade because you are sitting in traffic.