By Kate Lohnes

Three days stuffed with events. Seven stages filled with entertainment.

Sixty-four acts. Two hundred forty performances.

With a schedule like that, it’s no small wonder the Dublin Irish Festival attracts more than 100,000 people each year to Coffman Park.

In the years since the Irish Festival’s 1988 debut, organizers have managed to perfect its formula, resulting in popularity with local residents and out-of-town visitors. Even so, organizers aren’t afraid to tweak the recipe. Changes to this year’s festival, from minor to influential, are important to maintain the public interest, says Sandra Puskarcik, festival director and director of community relations for the City of Dublin.

“We don’t settle,” she says. “Our staff is always challenged to do something new. There are things that are traditional that people count on, but you know that if sit you down at one of the stages you won’t see a repeat of last year’s line up.”

In the spirit of trying new things, festival organizers will bring in a few bands this year with a different spin on Irish music, says Mary Jo DiSalvo, community relations specialist for the City of Dublin and festival marketing coordinator. Instead of purely traditional Irish tunes, several bands will have a distinctive Latin influence. A group called Salsa Celtica, for example, combines Scottish and Irish sounds with a little bit of jazz and salsa, while the band La Bottine Souriante infuses tradition with salsa, jazz and funk.

According to DiSalvo, bringing in bands that mix influences demonstrates international music’s increasing union.

“It’s the way the world is going,” she says. “So many influences are coming together now. It’s very nice to see and even better to hear.”

The festival features eight new bands with sounds from around the globe. These include Bua, whose sound is a throwback to the 1970s and ‘80s, and Pogey, which combines multiple instruments and vocal harmonies for its “Nova Scotia Sound.”

The rest of the entertainment roster boasts a broad range of entertainment options and acts as well. These include music, dance and theater (a play called Sister Bernie’s Bingo Bash will be presented on the Tim Horton’s Thunder & Theater Stage at various times Friday, Saturday and Sunday).

The quality of entertainment has evolved over the decades, says Kitty Munger, a festival co-founder, board member and longtime volunteer.

“Early on, we used local bands and Columbus-based Irish musicians,” she says. “Once we started growing, and when the City of Dublin took over (hosting the festival), we then could get the funding to invite these bands that were regional or national in scope. It helped a lot.”

Now, Munger says, festival visitors can be sure they are getting the most bang for their buck.

“It’s a good value,” she says. “You can see and experience all this entertainment for one low admission price.”

For festival attendees who want to take a break from the song and dance, DiSalvo says the festival’s marketplace will include new vendors and products for interested shoppers.

“When we ask people what they like about the Irish Festival, shopping is listed on all the surveys as one of the reasons they love to come,” she says. “We bring the best of the Emerald Isle over to Dublin, Ohio.”

New vendors this year include “Got Kilt?” which sells what are dubbed “the funniest Celtic T-shirts anywhere.” Also, Mackenzie Couture Accessories will be on hand with Celtic ribbon-inspired accessories for people and pets, and The Scotland Yard Store, Ltd. and Amerikilt will sell kilts and other garb.

To help visitors keep their entertainment and shopping options straight, organizers have worked to make the festival more accessible online than ever. In addition to its Web site, the festival has an increased presence online through social media Web sites. Fans can receive updates and useful information before and during the three-day event via Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, among other places. Fans can also check out photos via Flickr and read other tidbits in the Irish Festival blog.

“This is the most fun we’ve ever had with a marketing campaign,” DiSalvo says. “It gives us the opportunity to reach markets with different messages.”

Festival organizers are also making attending the festival a little bit easier, with a customizable online schedule.

“You can create a schedule to bring with you. So when you arrive, you know that at 3:30 p.m., there’s a sheep herding demonstration, and at 4:30 p.m., you don’t want to miss the championship dancers,” she says. “It’s a really cool way to maximize the whole experience and personalize the festival for you, your friends and your family.”

With the increased exposure, a fantastic entertainment roster and plenty of shopping and food opportunities, the festival will appeal to perennial visitors and first-timers alike, Munger says.

“One of the things that surprises a lot of people is just how big (the festival) is and how much stuff there is to do,” she says. “There are different stages and music, different places to eat. Some people have been to different festivals around the country and haven’t been here yet, and they’re still surprised. There’s something for everybody.”

Kate Lohnes is assistant editor of Dublin Life.

For more information about the Dublin Irish Festival, visit www.dublinirishfestival.org.