More than 2,000 people attended the St. Patrick’s Day festivities at the Iron City brewery in East Deer on Saturday, adding to a growing number of events and crowds taking advantage of the massive 150,000-square-foot Pittsburgh Brewing Co. complex.
Saturday’s event, dubbed the Irish City Celebration, ran from morning through the afternoon and included a St. Patrick’s Day parade, live music, games, food trucks and general revelry. The sellout crowd, which milled about outside and inside the brewery, were awash in green, including slurping down green-colored beer.
It was one of just a handful of large events the brewery has put on since opening in the fall of 2022. Ownership expects more events like the St. Patrick’s Day celebration to increase moving forward.
Pittsburgh Brewing Co. owner Cliff Forrest said the music was fantastic throughout the day, and he was very encouraged by the crowds.
“I think this is the best St. Patrick’s Day party in all of Pittsburgh,” he said.
Forrest said the brewery created a special Irish stout for the event. Several bands, including traditional Irish music and rock ’n’ roll acts, played at the festival at a small stage set up out front.
Forrest said the company is looking to expand event capacity up to 6,000 when a new stage and venue is built on the backside of the brewery, near the Allegheny River.
Pittsburgh Brewing Co. has several big events coming up this summer, like watch parties for sporting events, car cruises, and tribute band concerts.
Laura Gonzales, of Tarentum, said she is excited for a Jimmy Buffett tribute concert in June, and was elated at all the events coming up.
She grew up in Tarentum and isn’t used to the area getting so much activity. She and a friend ran over a dozen miles earlier in the day to raise money for cystic fibrosis research, and was glad to get a chance to unwind.
“These drinks are deserved today,” she said.
Earlier in the morning, a short parade caused some traffic and confusion in the streets near the brewery site, but Forrest said there were no major public safety concerns during the festival.
Police also set up a sobriety checkpoint at Exit 13 of Route 28 entering East Deer near the brewery.
Attendees at the St. Patrick’s Day party told TribLive they hadn’t noticed any problems with the event and hope the Iron City brewery hosts more.
“I am glad they brought something to this area, and now I don’t have to go all the way to Pittsburgh to have a good time,” said Andrew Hajnik of Harwick.
Guests roamed through the brewery, drinking green beer next to massive beer tanks. Upstairs, revelers watched college basketball on a huge projector screen.
George Kabay grew up near the brewery site when it was a glass-making facility, and he was impressed with the facility’s reuse. The site was once home of Pittsburgh Plate Glass Works No. 1, which has grown into today’s PPG Industries.
The new brewery opened in 2022 when Pittsburgh Brewing Co. moved its brewing operation from Latrobe to East Deer.
“I want to come back and take the tour,” Kabay said.
Dave Ludwig of Natrona Heights said the festival was “wonderfully Irish” and said the activity was a blessing for the Allegheny Valley.
“It is a bit unusual to see so many people, but it feels like an awakening for the area,” Ludwig said.
