It’s been six months since St. Patrick’s Day, and the Irish are getting antsy. To satisfy the craving for a bit of Old-World cheer, de Vere’s Irish Pub will be kicking off its inaugural family-friendly Guinness and Oyster Festival Saturday. Through the event, Sacramento will be joining a worldwide celebration that began in Galway, Ireland, in the mid-1950s when a local businessman was looking for a way to extend the summer tourist season. “It started small, but it’s now turned into a five-day party,” said de Vere’s co-owner Henry de Vere White, adding that attending the Galway celebration is high up on his bucket list. “There’s nothing quite as Irish as Guinness and oysters,” he said.

Sacramento usually sees large crowds on Second Saturday. But Wednesday, it looked more like Dublin as thousands of green-clad Sacramentans attended block parties, drank green beer and celebrated everything even remotely Irish. The following is a photo essay, depicting some of the Wednesday evening festivities. The first seven photos are from the de Vere's St. Patrick's Day Block Party. Outside the de Vere's St. Patrick's Day Block Party on L Street, this dog dressed for the occasion in a green sweater. The party drew thousands of people to the 1500s block of L Street. Kings mascot Slamson showed up to the block party on stilts and showed off his shamrock-covered blazer. He was a crowd p