 Worlds First Virtual St. Patricks Day Parade
March 13, 2008
Sometimes it seems that the whole world wants to be Irish and on Saint
Patricks Day it can be. If you cant
make it to
Ireland in person for
the celebration, why not visit
Ireland virtually
and take part in one of the worlds biggest parties online!
Tourism
Ireland will host
the worlds first virtual St Patricks Day parade on Sunday 16
March, in the internet-based, virtual world of Second Life. The
virtual parade will include 20 Irish and Celtic themed floats and will be
the highlight of a three-day Discover Ireland Festival in Second Life,
sponsored by Tourism
Ireland.
Second Life is one of the
largest virtual worlds in existence, with over 12 million registered
users, 3 million of whom are considered regular users. These residents can
explore, socialise, and participate in activities and services using
Second Lifes currency, the Linden Dollar.
Dublin in Second Life is
a well-established destination frequently making the Top Ten list of the
most popular places to visit there.
As well as the first virtual St Patricks
Day parade, Tourism
Ireland will organise a
range of events and activities during the St Patricks festivities in
Second Lifes replica city of
Dublin. Events will include a
live broadcast of the largest ever contemporary Irish music expo Snakes
and Ladders from the World Financial Center in New York; a treasure hunt
which will involve visitors exploring Dublin to find clues that will
enable them to collect points and win prizes (clues are located on
www.discoverireland.com); as well as live bands and DJs.
The virtual cruise ship the SS Galaxy
will visit
Dublin during the festivities
and will host an onboard digital exhibition of Irish artists work. Guided
helicopter and bus tours of
Dublin in Second Life will take
place throughout the weekend, giving visitors historical information on
the many famous
Dublin landmarks that are
recreated in Second Life.
Mark Henry, Tourism
Irelands Central
Marketing Director, said: We are very excited about the worlds first
virtual St Patricks Day parade its an innovative and interesting way to
present the
island of
Ireland as an
attractive holiday destination to a new audience. Once they have
experienced the simulated
Ireland, we hope
these potential visitors will come and see the real thing.
The Programme of St Patricks
Festivities in Second Life includes:
[note: all
times are GMT]
Saturday March 15
17:00 Grand Opening
17:01 Treasure Hunt
begins and will run for the next three days with instruction and clues at
30 locations
17:15 Saturday Swing
- Irish/Celtic rock by live DJ (2 hours)
20:00 Carraig
- Irish/Celtic rock by live DJ (2 hours)
23:00 Highland Marching
Band parade and concert
-
fully kitted
marching band with kilt and pipes (2 hours)
Sunday March 16
15:00 Sunday Riot
- Irish/Celtic rock by live
DJ (2 hours)
15:00 Bus and Helicopter
Tours of Dublin start (4 hours)
17:15 Celtic Muse
- Irish/Celtic sports music
by live DJ (2 hours)
19:00 St Patricks Day
Parade
- 20 Irish and Celtic
themed floats (2 hours)
21:00 Sunday Slam
- Irish/Celtic rock by live
DJ (2 hours)
21:00 Live Music
Showcase
- Keltish live music band
(1 hour)
23:00 Snakes & Ladders:
New Irish Music Festival live simulcast from
New York
- the largest expo of new
Irish music in the world, ever! (2 hours)
- Featuring: Green Time
Ensemble, Somadrome, Amoebadoid, Deep Burial, General Practise, Toirse,
Richard G Evans, Educution, Daniel Figgis
01:30 Carraigh
- Irish/Celtic rock by live
DJ (1 hours)
Monday March 17
16:30 Snakes & Ladders:
New Irish Music Festival live simulcast from
New York
- Featuring: Brian OHuiginn,
Roger Doyle, Daniel Figgis
19:30 Live
Ireland traditional
Irish music festival live simulcast from the real world
Dublin to virtual
Dublin (3 hours)
20:00 Fibber Magees
Grand Opening live music simulcast from the real world Fibber Magees
to virtual
Dublin featuring the band World
of Good (2 hours)
22:00 Carraig at New
Fibber Magees
- Irish/Celtic rock by live
DJ (2 hours)
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