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St. Patrick’s Day celebrations will once again take over Main Street next weekend.

On March 14, Downtown LaGrange will host its sixth annual St. Patrick’s Day Block Party, beginning at 4 p.m.

“People love it and it gets bigger every year,” said Downtown LaGrange Development Authority Director of Promotions and Marketing Barbie Watts.

Watts said it all got started six years ago when a local pub owner on Bull Street requested that the city start host a block party for the holiday.

“When that closed, we had restaurants on Main Street interested in being a part of it,” Watts said. “So, this will make it our fourth year on Main Street. This is a wonderful event and the community truly loves it.”

World champion Irish dancers from Drake Irish Dance will add an authentic Irish flair to the celebration for another.

“I think that’s what make this event special and unique,” Watts said. “To have these Irish dancers and Irish music just adds a really nice atmosphere to the event to focus on the Irish culture.”

A Dublin native Karl Drake, the director and owner of the Drake School of Irish Dance in Atlanta, hasn’t performed in LaGrange in multiple years but will be back on stage this year.

“It’s really exciting for me personally to actually come back again to the LaGrange community this year,” Drake said. “Drake School performed last year, but I wasn’t with the dancers myself. We’ve got a lot of fans, we’ve got a lot of friends, and we’ve got a lot of followers there in LaGrange. Drake Irish Dance is very excited to be there again.”

Drake said he’s excited to see how much the festival has grown in the past six years.

The dancers will perform at 6:30 p.m. at the Show Mobile Stage and at 8 p.m. at the Overlook Plaza Stage.

“Karl will also try and get some crowd participation and get people to come up on stage to teach some dance steps,” Watts said.

Many downtown restaurants will feature food and drink specials for the event and in the Main Street area, eventgoers can bring their own tailgate chairs and claim a spot in Flagpole Park to enjoy the festivities.

“We have all ages attend and a diverse crowd of people who just have a wonderful time,” Watts said. “It’s a family friendly event for everyone, and it’s just one of those special things we do during the year to add to the quality of life in LaGrange. People don’t have to travel to get this experience when they have it right here in their own downtown.”

The DLDA encourages the community and furry friends to dress up in green attire or costume.