The St Patrick's Festival will defy wintry conditions this evening with a second chance to view the Grupo Puja's an open-air musical extravaganza at Dublin's Smithfield.
The Spanish-Argentinian group perform their colourful act 50 feet above ground from 8pm.
The Festival Market at Wolfe Tone Park, close to the Jervis Street Shopping Centre, offers Irish and international culinary treats and crafts and is open today until 6pm. It is open from 10 to 6pm every day until Sunday.
Also starting today is the fun fair at Merrion Square West which starts at 6pm and run until 11pm and then runs from noon to 11pm from tomorrow to Sunday.
Traditional music lovers can check out the Tradfest at the National Concert Hall running today, tomorrow and Sunday, with performances each night from 8pm.
Irish speakers, or those hoping to brush up on the language should join the Lá Gaelach on Saturday for a tour of the city as Gaeilge.
People planning to come into the city for some of the events or for the parade tomorrow have been warned that St Patrick's Day and indeed the entire weekend is set to be cold and windy with scattered showers of sleet or snow.
There will also be a number of road closures and traffic diversions. With 700,000 people expected in the city to watch the Dublin parade which starts at Parnell Square at noon.
A copy of the parade route is available below.
Merrion Square west will be closed from 8am to 7pm every day until next Monday.
On Sunday Fitzwilliam Street Lower, Merrion Square East and South, and Merrion Street Upper will be closed.
During the parade: Dominick Street Upper, Mountjoy Street, St Mary's Place North, Granby Way, Parnell Square North, Parnell Square East, O'Connell Bridge will all be closed from 7am to 1pm.
Westmoreland Street, College Green, Dame Street, Lord Edward Street, Christchurch Place will all be closed from 7am to 2pm.
Nicholas Street and Patrick Street and Clanbrassil Street Lwr (Kevin Street to South Circular Road) will be closed from 10am until 3.30pm.
On Friday Luas services will operate to a Saturday timetable while a full Dart service will be in operation.
There are also a number of special transport arrangements in other cities on Friday. A park-and-ride service will operate in Cork from Black Ash between 9am until 7.15pm to. The Cork parade starts at South Mall at 1pm.
The Limerick parade starts at Matthew Bridge at noon, Galway's parade starts at 12.30pm and the Waterford parade starts at 1pm.
The President Mary McAleese said St Patrick's Day was "a day of celebration in Ireland and for our global Irish family throughout the world."
She said the people of Ireland had over many decades worked for the pursuit of truth, justice, and peace and to create the successful Ireland of today.
"We can all bear witness to the arduous trials of our predecessors. Yet, through it, and perhaps because of it, we have built a new confidence and sense of direction - our collective aim to create a better Ireland and a better life for our children and our children's children."