Sydney Opera House Sails to Go Green for St. Patrick's Day

Tourism Ireland is partnering with The Sydney St. Patrick's Day Festival to turn the Sydney Opera House green as part of the 2019 'Global Greening' initiative

Famous stadiums, statues, museums and towers are set to go green globally to celebrate our national day. The annual 'Global Greening' initiative, now in its tenth year, has grown from strength to strength, with lots of new landmarks signing up to take part this year.

It will be an extra special St. Patrick's Day in Sydney this year. The St. Patrick's Day Festival has moved back to The Rocks, marking the 40th anniversary of the first Irish parade through the area in 1979. The area will be transformed into an Irish Village for the day, a sea of green - offering something for everyone; live music, street artists, a parade, children's activities, a citizenship ceremony, and live music and dancing. Kicking off with a street parade at 11am, the celebrations will be at Dawes Point Park, with the iconic Sydney Opera House as a backdrop.

Sydney St. Patrick's Day Organisation's President Karen Murphy said “The St. Patrick's Day Festival is delighted to partner with Tourism Ireland in turning the sails of the Opera House green! What a stunning setting to celebrate our proud Irish roots globally.”

Among this year's iconic global landmarks, there are a host of Australian sites getting in on the action, including the Big Kangaroo Border Village, The Big Banana Fun Park, State Library of New South Wales, Sydney Town Hall, The Bell Tower, Council House and Elizabeth Quay in Perth, and the National Carillon and the Embassy of Ireland in Canberra to name a few.

Other new sites and buildings taking part in Tourism Ireland's Global Greening 2019 include: Victoria Falls, The Eden Project in Cornwall, The Cotton Tree in Freetown, Sierra Leone; and 'Niki', a Cathay Pacific DC-3 airplane on display in the Cathay Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong. These new sites will join some 'old favourites' which have gone green in previous years – including the Colosseum, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Niagara Falls, the 'Welcome' sign in Las Vegas, the Sky Tower in Auckland, Sleeping Beauty castle at Disneyland Paris, Burj Al Arab, Christ the Redeemer statue, the London Eye and many others.  Sofia Hansson, Manager Tourism Ireland, Australia and New Zealand said, “This is the tenth year of Tourism Ireland's Global Greening initiative which has now grown to become a significant worldwide reminder of both St. Patrick's Day itself, and also of Ireland and its appeal as a visitor destination. Many Australians have ancestral links to the island of Ireland and St. Patrick's Day is a truly unique opportunity to reconnect them with their heritage.”

St. Patrick's Day celebrations taking place around Australia include: Adelaide Oval  - Sunday 17th March Brisbane Irish Festival - Saturday 16th March Melbourne Irish Festival - Sunday 17th March Sydney St. Patrick's Day - Sunday 17th March Perth St. Patrick's Festival - Saturday 16th March

Australian Greenings

Sydney Opera House

State Library of New South Wales

Sydney Town Hall

The Big Kangaroo (Rooey II), Border Village

The Big Banana Fun Park, Coffs Harbour

National Carillon, Canberra

Embassy of Ireland, Canberra

Crown Perth

Matagarup Bridge, Perth

Perth Bell Tower

Perth Council House

Elizabeth Quay, Perth

Optus Stadium, Perth

Yagan Square, Perth

Perth Airport

Website: www.ireland.com