Houston International Festival

LAST WEEKEND FOR THE HOUSTON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL

Festival is Geared Up For the Last Weekend

WHEN:  Saturday, April 25  12 p.m. - 10 p.m.  &  Sunday, April 26       12 p.m. – 9 p.m.

WHAT:  The 38th annual Houston International Festival has a schedule chock-full-of activity for this weekend - Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26. The Festival continues the celebration of Ireland with delicious food, fine arts and crafts and the best music from around the world. Hugh Masekela, Los Lobos, Rootz Underground, Cherish the Ladies and more are scheduled to perform this weekend. See the music schedule below for performance times. Other exciting elements include the H-E-B Cultural Stage, which will feature dance performances, cuisines of Ireland and Irish dance costumes. Celebrity and local chefs will present cooking demonstrations during multiple daily performances.

WHERE: Downtown Houston - Stretching across 16 acres of downtown parks and streets including City Hall, Bagby Street, and Tranquility and Sam Houston Parks

WHY:   The Houston International Festival, a celebration of world music, food and culture continues for the second weekend, April 25-26. This year’s Festival spotlights Ireland.

TICKETS: Tickets at the gate: $15 - Target Kids Free: Kids 12 and under are FREE
 
 
 
SATURDAY, APRIL 25
CENTER STAGE
  1:00    St. Thomas Episcopal Pipe Band
  2:30    O'Maoileidigh Irish Dancers
  4:30    O'Maoileidigh Irish Dancers 
  6:30    Flying Fish Sailors
  8:30    Beoga (Ireland) with Houston's Championship Irish Dancers

BUD LIGHT WORLD MUSIC STAGE
 12:30   Blaggards
  2:00   Beoga (Ireland)
  4:00   Alpha YaYa Diallo (Guinea)
  6:00   Rootz Underground (Jamaica)
  8:00   Hugh Masekela (South Africa)

LOUISIANA STAGE
 12:30   Zydeco Dots
  2:00   Lil' Malcolm & the Houserockers
  4:00   Lost Bayou Ramblers
  6:00   Sherman Robertson
  8:00   Step Rideau & the Zydeco Outlaws

ROOMSTORE LATIN STAGE
  1:15   Strictly Street Salsa Dancers
  3:15   Strictly Street Salsa Dancers
  5:15   Lucia y Valdemar Gitanerias Flamenco
  7:15   Los Texmaniacs
 
TEXAS STAGE
 12:15    Les Amis Creole
  2:00    James Hand
  4:00    Los Texmaniacs
  6:00    Original Soul Invaders
  8:00    Little Joe y la Familia
 
CHRON.COM HOUSTON STAGE
 12:30   Flying Fish Sailors
  2:30   Original Soul Invaders
  4:30   James Hand
  6:30   Lil' Malcolm & the Houserockers
  8:30   Blaggards
 
MCGONIGEL'S MUCKY DUCK  PUB STAGE
  1:30   Lonestar Stout
  3:30   Les Amis Creole and Kevin Burke (Ireland meets Texas)
  5:30   Kevin Burke (Ireland) & Friends
  7:30   Kevin Burke (Ireland) & Cal Scott with Tom Creegan(Ireland)
  9:00   Danny O'Flaherty (Ireland)

H-E-B CULTURAL STAGE
 12:30   H-E-B Cooking Connection Presents Cuisines of Ireland
  1:30   Fashions of Irish Dance
  2:30   Tom Creegan (Ireland)
  3:30   Therese Honey Irish Harp Quartet
  4:30   Danny O'Flaherty (Ireland)
  5:30   HEB Cooking Connection Presents Cuisines of Ireland
  6:30   Lonestar Stout
  7:30   Lucia y Valdemar Celt-Iberia
  8:30   Batt Burns Irish Storyteller

GAELIC STAGE
 12:00   St. Thomas Episcopal Pipe Band
  1:30   Irish Dance Lessons by McTeggart School
  3:00   Irish Dance Lessons by McTeggart School
  4:30   Lonestar Stout
  6:00   Batt Burns Irish Storyteller
  7:30   Texas Chainsaw Ceili Band 

TARGET INTERNATIONAL KIDS STAGE
 12:00    Cool DJ Party
  1:00    Darryl the Juggler
  2:00    The British School Choir
  3:00    St. Thomas Episcopal Pipe Band
  4:00    Batt Burns Irish Storyteller
  5:00    Ambassadors International Ballet Folklorico
  6:00    Koumanke'le African Dance
  7:00    Cass Irish Dancers 
 
AFRICAN/CARIBBEAN ZONE
 12:15    Grupo de N'Golo
  1:15    Native Junkanoo Parade
  2:15    Koumanke'le Dancers
  3:15    Cosmic Steel
  4:15    Afro-Celt Drum Circle with Baba Ifalade
  5:15    Voodoo Brass Band Parade
  6:00    Soular Grooves Sound System with DJ Sun, DJ Simiyu and Josh Zulu
 
LITERARY PROGRAM & READINGS

  1:00     Susan Gallagher - Irish Folktales

  2:30     Aoife Ni Ghloinn - Irish Folksongs

  4:00     Dominque Sachse - Frank O'Connor: "The First Confession"
  5:30     Charles Krohn and Sidney Berger - Selections from Oscar Wilde
 
SISTER CITIES STAGE
12:30    Houston Chinese Performing Arts School - Folk Dance
  2:30    Revels - Traditional Songs & Music
  3:30    La Esencia Flamenca Dance Company
  4:30    IDIGINIS - Reggae
  6:30    ConeXao - Angolan/Columbia Fusion
  7:30    Moodafaruka - World Fusion
 

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SUNDAY, APRIL 26
CENTER STAGE
 12:30   St. Thomas Episcopal Pipe Band
  1:30   Cass Irish Dancers
  3:30   McTeggart Irish Dancers
  5:30   Beoga (Ireland) with Houston's Championship Irish Dancers
  7:30   Cherish the Ladies with Houston's Championship Irish Dancers

BUD LIGHT WORLD MUSIC STAGE
  1:00   Needfire
  3:00   Cherish the Ladies (Ireland)
  5:00   Rachid Taha
  7:00   Los Lobos
  8:30   Celtic Conjunto Finale with Los Lobos, Beoga, Kevin Burke, Joel Guzman and Lil' Brian Terry

LOUSIANA STAGE
  1:00   Ezra Charles & the Texas Blues Band
  3:00   Mike Zito
  5:00   Lil' Brian & the Travelers
  7:00   Keith Frank & the Soileau Zydeco Band

ROOMSTORE LATIN STAGE
 12:15   Lucia y Valdemar Celt-Iberia
  2:15   Los Texmaniacs
  4:15   Mark Towns Latin Jazz Trio
  6:15   Lucia y Valdemar Gitanerias Flamenco

TEXAS STAGE
  1:00   Charles Thibideaux & the Austin Cajun Aces
  3:00   Terri Hendrix and Lloyd Maines
  5:00   "Los Tres Reyes": Flaco Jimenez, Joel Guzman and Jaime DeAnda
  7:00   Jones Family Singers
 
CHRON.COM HOUSTON STAGE
  1:30   Clandestine
  3:30   Needfire
  5:30   Mike Zito
  7:30   Ezra Charles & the Texas Blues Band

MCGONIGEL'S MUCKY DUCK PUB STAGE
  2:00   Beoga (Ireland)
  4:00   Charles Thibideaux and Kevin Burke (Ireland meets Texas)
  6:30   Kevin Burke (Ireland) and Cal Scott with Tom Creegan (Ireland)
  8:00  Clandestine

H-E-B CULTURAL STAGE
12:30   H-E-B Cooking Connection Presents Cuisines of Ireland
  1:30   Fashions of Irish Dance 
  2:30   Tom Creegan (Ireland) with Kevin Burke and Cal Scott (Ireland)
  3:30   Clandestine
  4:30   Batt Burns Irish Storyteller
  5:30   H-E-B Cooking Connection Presents Cuisines of Ireland
  6:30   Wyndnwyre
  7:30   Danny O'Flaherty (Ireland)
 
GAELIC STAGE
 12:00   St. Thomas Episcopal Pipe Band Parade
  1:30   Irish Dance Lessons by O'Maoileidigh School
  3:00   Irish Dance Lessons by O'Maoileidigh School
  4:30   Danny O'Flaherty (Ireland)
  6:00   Batt Burns Irish Storyteller
  7:30   Texas Chainsaw Ceili Band

TARGET INTERNATIONAL KIDS STAGE
 12:00   Cool DJ Party
  1:00   Batt Burns Irish Storyteller
  2:00   Danny O'Flaherty (Ireland)
  3:00   St. Thomas Episcopal Pipe Band
  4:00   Cookie Joe's Dancin' School 
  5:00   Nritya Indian Dancers
  6:00   Sirrom School of Belly Dance 
  7:00   Cass Irish Dancers

AFRICAN/CARIBBEAN ZONE
 12:15    African Drum Circle with Baba Ifalade
  1:15    Voodoo Brass Band Parade
  2:15    Koumanke'le Dancers
  3:15    Cosmic Steel
  4:15    Grupo de N'Golo
  5:15    Native Junkanoo Parade
  6:00    Soular Grooves Sound System with DJ Sun, DJ Simiyu and Josh Zulu
 
LITERARY PROGRAM & READINGS

  1:00    Fran Povel - Selection of Irish Poetry
  2:30    University of St. Thomas Irish Studies Students - Translations from the Gaelic: Brian Friel/Sean O'Casey
  4:00    Aoife Ni Ghloinn - Irish Folksongs
  5:30    Clare McDonald - Brendan Behan: "Borstal Boy"
 
SISTER CITIES STAGE
 12:30    HSE Folk Dance Team
  1:30    Scandinavian Folkdancers of Houston
  2:30    Soniquete Flamenco Dance Company
  4:00    Trial Lillies - Belly Dance
  5:00    Karachi Fashion Show
  6:30    Collective Sound Cloggers
  7:30    The Olympian Dancers
 
*entertainment lineup subject to change