February

Definitely not to be confused with St. Patrick’s Day [1], the Savannah Irish Festival (912/232-3448, www.savannahirish.org [2]) focuses on Celtic music. A regular performer and Savannah [3]’s most popular “Irishman at large” is folk singer Harry O’Donoghue, a native of Ireland who regularly plays at Kevin Barry’s Irish Pub on River Street [4] and hosts his own Celtic music show, “The Green Island,” on local public radio 91.1 FM Saturday evenings.

Hosted by the historically black Savannah State University at various venues around town, the monthlong Black Heritage Festival (912/691-6847) is tied into Black History Month and boasts name entertainers like the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre (performing free!). This event also usually features plenty of historical lectures devoted to the very interesting and rich history of African Americans in Savannah.

Also in February is the Savannah Book Festival (www.savannahbookfestival.org [5]), modeled after a similar event in Washington DC and featuring many local and regional authors at various venues.