Go Green for Saint Patrick’s Festival 2024

The below is information from St Patrick’s Day Festival.

DublinTown has a number of green gels for interested business, please contact info@dublintown.ie to organise.

Every year, St. Patrick’s Festival invites businesses, landmark buildings, entertainment venues and cultural institutions to Go Green with outdoor lighting. During the 2024 Festival, they want to make an even bigger impact by encouraging more people to get involved.

They are asking participants to Go Green and light up the city for the duration of the festival, which this year takes place from March 15th to 18th.

They feature each building on our festival website and the initiative gains extensive coverage in the run up to and throughout the festival. Please get in touch with their Hospitality Department (hospitalityadmin@stpatricksfestival.ie) and let them know you are taking part so they can include you on the website.

They are aware that it is easier for some buildings and premises to illuminate than others, but for most, it is relatively easy and low cost. They have included some guide information to help your business to Go Green.

If you are thinking of going green for St. Patrick’s Festival, 15th – 18th March, here are a few tips:

LED

LED has become extremely popular in recent years with an explosion of colour-changing buildings in the city, including the Convention Centre and National Concert Hall. Luckily, if your building is fitted with colour-changing LED lights, then Going Green for the Festival could be as simple as pushing a button. If you have white-only LED, this can easily be changed to green using colour filter/ gel (see below). If in doubt, talk to your electrician.

SON (High Pressure Sodium)

SONs are a very popular type of architectural light and are seen on buildings all over the city including Trinity College and Bank of Ireland at College Green. Also used in streetlights, they produce a warm orange colour. Unfortunately, because of this, it makes it very difficult to change this orange to green using colour gels or filters. However, some High-Pressure Sodium lamps can easily be swapped to a type of bulb available that simply retro fits into the existing lamps, called a Metal Halide which is available in a specialist green colour. Again, if in doubt, talk to your electrician or contact your local electrical wholesaler for more information. Popular brands for Green Metal Halide bulbs are ‘Venture’ and ‘Colorlite’.

Metal Halides

Metal Halides are similar to SON lamps but produce a cool white colour. As referred to above, there is a green bulb version available which can easily be retrofitted. If you already have white light metal halides on your premises, you may be able to change their colour with green gels for minimal cost. However, this depends on the amount of heat emitted by the light fixture. Again, check with your electrician if in doubt.

Green Gel/Colour Filter

Colour Filters or Gels are a specialised, heat-resistant, coloured plastic used mainly in theatre and stage lighting, with 1000s of shades available. Gels can be put on any white light source, including fluorescent tubes. It is a simple cost- effective solution for greening your business. Gels are available from theatrical lighting suppliers like Production Services Ireland (01) 2933677, or Cue One (091) 761855 and similar. Always ask for “HT” (High Temperature) filter, as it will last longer.

Alternative ways of Going Green

Traditionally, Greening of the City has been celebrated by asking organisations to light up their buildings green for the duration of the festival. This year, they’d like to invite businesses who may not have the capacity to illuminate their buildings to consider adopting the colour green in other areas. Below are a few examples of how you might look to ‘Go Green’.

If you are undertaking any of the following initiatives, make sure to email us with images:

• Asking your staff to wear green, or introduce a small element of green into current staff uniforms
• Bring the colour green into your offices and public spaces in as many creative ways as possible
• Incorporate the colour green into your social media profiles
• Amend products and offerings where possible to include an element of the colour green (e.g. food and drinks offerings)
• Window dressing featuring simple green displays
• Green fabric alternatives for external building facades that can be safely secured.

If you are undertaking any of these initiatives, email them at hospitalityadmin@stpatricksfestival.ie with images or tag them online at #SPF24 and #TheGreening24.