Murphys, CA…Saturday, March 18, 2023 – 10am to 5pm!  A Celebration of the Irish! Free Admission!  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. Our picturesque Main Street is filled with booths offering handcrafted items, original art, photographs, tasty food, wine, and other beverages.

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 and enter you in the raffle.  Sign up at http://bit.ly/irishday2023.  A huge thank you to all the folks who help every year.
The day begins with a pancake breakfast from 8:30-10:30 am at the First Congregational Church of Murphys just a block off Main Street at the corner of Church & Algiers Streets. Purchase tickets in advance from their website.

At 11 am, 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.  This year we will be honoring John and Gail Kautz, owners of Ironstone Vineyards and tireless supporters of Murphys who will serve as the Grand Marshalls of the parade.

The day continues with live entertainment on the stages and the street 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.

This year the Murphys Community Club will be hosting the Murphys School of Music and selling food & drink in the Community Park from noon-4.  Enjoy performances by the Murphys School of Music students and take a walk through the park down to the Creek for a break from the crowds on the street.

The Native Daughters will be hosting a Scavenger Hunt beginning in their Hall.  Purchase a ticket and be entered for a chance to win a cash prize and show off your skills.

The Murphys Business Association hosts Irish Day each year with the knowledge that if you visit Murphys once, you will want to return again and again.  Our next community event will be Spring Wine Weekend, hosted by the Calaveras Wine Grape Alliance.  Please stop by our Visitors Center at the corner of Main Street & Big Trees Road to catch up with them and our stage sponsor, the Calaveras Visitor’s Bureau, to learn more about Wine Weekend, local wines & wineries, and all the other ways to play in Murphys and Calaveras County.

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.

Things to know if you are planning to attend in 2023

Get the 2023 Murphys Irish Day Cheat Sheet Here

Parking is very limited in town during events. We encourage you to take advantage of the free parking available on the beautiful grounds of Ironstone Vineyards and use the free shuttle into town.  The shuttle runs between 9:30 am and 5:30 pm and drops you off in the parking area behind the Arbors Shopping Area next to the Black Sheep Tasting Room, just a short, level walk from Main Street and the main event area. Ironstone has impressive plantings of daffodils and other spring bulbs and a lovely winery & tasting room, 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. It will be used for parade staging in the morning, and parking on the surrounding sidestreets is extremely limited due to their narrowness and use as detour routes during this event.  We need to ensure that emergency vehicles can get through and around town and that private driveways do not get blocked….please be considerate and honor those No Parking signs!  It would undoubtedly wreck your 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, the free parking lot at the Masonic Hall on the corner of Church & Algiers, or the surrounding side streets, please come early.  The hour before the parade begins at 11 am, 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.

Accessible parking is available in the Masonic Hall parking lot, but it fills up quickly.  Additional accessible parking is available on Jones Street behind Alchemy Cafe; show the volunteers your placard, and they will let you through if parking is available.

Please remember that Main Street is closed to traffic from 6 am and will not reopen to vehicles until about 7 pm or whenever the street is clear and safe to access.  Vendors & entertainers with event passes will have access through the Big Trees Road intersection between 6-9 am for setup.

It’s been a wet and snowy winter and spring here in Murphys.  Please come prepared to enjoy yourself with warm clothing as the weather can change quickly here, and we often have days that include both sun and rain or even a little snow.  That rarely dampens our spirits, and this is a rain-or-shine event.  We consider a little precipitation to be authentic Irish weather! We have never canceled for weather, but very low snow and unsafe conditions could result in a cancelation, so please keep an eye on our home page to keep up on what to expect.  Happily, the forecast is currently for mostly dry weather on Irish Day.

Many people make a weekend of it for this event.  Check out our calendar and the countywide calendar at GoCalaveras to see what else is planned for the weekend.  You can expect live music at the Murphys Irish Pub and Boyle MacDonald Tasting Room on Friday evening, live music at Pop the Bubbly during the event, live music at the Newsome Harlow Tasting Room & the Murphys Irish Pub after the event, and more live music at the Murphys Irish Pub on Sunday.

Please plan to celebrate responsibly by arranging for a designated driver or planning to stay for dinner and enjoy some non-alcoholic drinks before heading out.  Calaveras does have public transportation, but it is limited.  They will be running their Saturday Hopper to Murphys on Irish Day.  You’ll be able to catch it in the same parking lot where our shuttle picks up and drops off.  Please make sure you are in the right line! You can check out their schedule and stops here.  We also have a taxi service and a couple of tour companies who may be able to arrange something for you.  There is rarely Uber or Lyft available in the area.  Make sure to stay hydrated, enjoy plenty to eat during the day, and keep moving…we want you to enjoy our wines and beers, but, most importantly, we want you to stay safe and come back often!

Lost and found items may be brought to the Volunteer Check-In Desk inside the Native Sons Hall.  First Aid is provided by our firefighter’s association and first responders at their booth at the corner of Main & Church Streets near the Hovey Tasting Room.  Lost children should also be brought to the first responders, who will work with our volunteers to reunite them with their families as soon as possible.  Want to support our Fire Department? Buy a t-shirt or a sweatshirt from them while you’re here!

Enjoy the day!