A lucky 17% of Pittsburghers report some Irish heritage, but during the annual Pittsburgh Irish Festival, everyone can feel a little bit Celtic.

The festival started in 1991, thanks to Pittsburgh native Mairin Petrone, the event’s executive director.

“We wanted to create an organization that was celebrating the Irish culture beyond St. Patrick’s Day,” Petrone said. “We wanted to expose people in a big way to live music, historical stuff, children’s activities, all of these ideas.”

This year’s Pittsburgh Irish Festival will take place Sept. 11-13 at Carrie Blast Furnaces, a venue Petrone also said is meaningful.

“We love it,” she said. “We really think it’s very Pittsburgh of us to take this industrial backdrop and put a very lively and traditional celebration right in front of it. The Furnaces actually played a huge role in Irish immigration to Pittsburgh.”

This year, the festival will offer live entertainment on four stages throughout the weekend. This will include live music and dance, as well as an additional stage with specific cultural programming.

“Folks can learn to speak the Irish language; we’ve got instrument demonstrations; we’ve got Gaelic sports demonstrations, a lot of different activities,” Petrone said.

Musicians this year range from Ally the Piper to BIIRD to Screaming Orphans and dozens of other performers.

“Our music is really special. I think we showcase a really incredible, diverse offering of Irish music from our roots to modern interpretations. I really feel proud of what we present to our audience,” Petrone said.

That includes lots of Irish dance. Petrone said the Pittsburgh area is fortunate to have many Irish dance schools that provide amazing talent.

This is the ninth year that local Celtic rock group The Low Kings will perform at the Pittsburgh Irish Festival.

“I’m a bit biased, being from Pittsburgh, but I will go to the mat saying that the Pittsburgh Irish Festival is the best organized one that we’ve done and continued to do,” said Shawn Melvin, lead singer and guitarist for The Low Kings.

The band is familiar with the Irish festival circuit, bringing its high-energy music with traditional elements to stages all over. But this is a home show for the members, and they love it every year.

“We have a bagpiper, Adam Valenti, who’s been winning awards for pipes for years. It’s always really cool to integrate that into a rock band.”

The band also has a new single, “The Battle of Bower Hill,” that they’re looking forward to playing at the show. But they’re also looking forward to the fun offstage during that weekend.

“We’ll see someone we haven’t seen before. We hang out and have a beer afterwards and meet new folks,” Melvin said.

They’ll have plenty of opportunities for refreshments. Petrone said the food and drink are among her favorite aspects of the festival.

“I personally look forward to it every year. We’ve got Irish stew and shepherd’s pie and fish and chips and bread pudding,” she said. “We do an Irish breakfast. I’m obviously well-fed throughout the weekend.”

The event is expected to draw between 20,000 and 25,000 attendees over three days. “It’s big enough to feel like a true community gathering, and I love that,” Petrone said.

The Pittsburgh Irish Festival is Sept. 11-13 at the Carrie Blast Furnaces. To learn more and see a full schedule of events, visit pghirishfest.org.