Three Irish Bands and a Florida Strawberry Seltzer Headline Raglan Road's Mighty St. Patrick's Festival
Raglan Road's Mighty St. Patrick's Festival runs March 11 through 17, 2022 at Disney Springs, with Jig Jam, the Lisa Canny Band and Emerald Shore flown in from Ireland alongside the pub's own Irish dancers. New this year is So Berry Les, a hard seltzer brewed with Crooked Can in Winter Garden and named for a 1977 Guinness World Record strawberry purchase. Reservations are encouraged March 11-16, but March 17 is walk-up only from 10 a.m. with a $20 cover for guests 18 and over.
Three bands flown in from Ireland, a hard seltzer named after a world-record strawberry purchase, and a $20 cover charge on the day itself: the Mighty St. Patrick's Festival returns to Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant at Disney Springs from March 11 through 17, 2022.
So Berry Les: A New Seltzer Named for a World-Record Strawberry Run
The one genuinely new item on the menu this year is So Berry Les, a locally crafted hard seltzer infused with Florida strawberry and Key lime juice. It was made in collaboration with Crooked Can Brewing Co. in Winter Garden, about half an hour up the road from Disney Springs, which makes it one of the few genuinely local drinks on a Walt Disney World menu.
The name is a tribute rather than a pun. Les was the father of John Cooke, co-owner of both Raglan Road and the adjacent Cooke's of Dublin, and he landed in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1977 for setting a strawberry-buying record.
The Food: Fish and Chips, Two Shepherd's Pies and a To-Go Counter
The kitchen leans on what it is known for. The fresh-caught fish and chips is the order most tables default to, and there is a practical alternative if the pub is packed: the same fish and chips can be ordered to go at the Cooke's of Dublin counter next door, which is the move on March 17 when the dining room is running on first-come, first-served seating.
Beyond that, the menu runs to authentic Irish plates including the Shepherd's to Die for Pie and Executive Chef Mark O'Neill's plant-based This Shepherd Went Vegan — a rare case of a vegan entrée being one of the restaurant's signature dishes rather than an afterthought. The bar pairs them with a wide range of Irish whiskeys, local craft beers and hand-crafted cocktails.
Live Music From Ireland, Plus the Raglan Road Dancers
Raglan Road flies its festival line-up in from Ireland, and this year's headliners are Jig Jam, known for a bluegrass-Irish hybrid they call CeltGrass; the Lisa Canny Band, which blends pop and hip-hop with traditional Irish rhythm; and Emerald Shore, playing straight trad. The Raglan Road Irish Dancers perform throughout, as they do year-round on the pub's stages.
Around the music there is a face painter, giveaways, and a Shop for Ireland merchandise boutique set up for the week. Full festival details are posted at raglanroad.com.
Key Details
- When: March 11–17, 2022
- Where: Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant, The Landing at Disney Springs
- March 17: Opens at 10 a.m., first-come first-served seating, $20 cover for guests 18 and over
- March 11–16: Reservations encouraged — book in My Disney Experience or call 407-938-0300
- Park ticket: Not required — Disney Springs is free to enter with free self-parking
March 17 Is Walk-Up Only, With a $20 Cover for Guests 18 and Over
The single most useful thing to know is that the two halves of this festival work completely differently. From March 11 to 16, Raglan Road runs normally and reservations are encouraged — book through the My Disney Experience app or by calling 407-938-0300. On St. Patrick's Day itself, reservations stop applying: the pub opens at 10 a.m., seats guests first-come first-served, and charges a $20 cover for anyone 18 and over.
That cover is unusual for Walt Disney World, where paying to walk into a restaurant is close to unheard of, and it is worth budgeting for rather than discovering at the door. The consolation is that everything around it is free: Disney Springs charges no admission and no parking, so a St. Patrick's Day at Raglan Road can be a standalone evening with no park ticket attached. Disney previewed the festival on the Disney Parks Blog.