See more photos | St. Patrick’s Day Events

WEST PALM BEACH — The skies of above West Palm Beach’s Meyer Amphitheatre were a brilliant blue, the clouds a fluffy white.

Pretty much everything else on site was green.

“Yesterday was Irish weather,” said Shelia Hynes, organizer of the city’s two-day Irish Fest celebration, referring to the windy, gray rains of Friday. “But this is Florida.”

Hynes says that Irish Fest — which inhabited downtown West Palm with all manner of emerald paraphernalia, from tall leprechaun hats to “Everybody loves an Irish girl!” T-shirts to shamrock-painted faces — was expected to attract about 20,000 people. But she was hoping for more. Much more.

“There are 700,000 Irish-Americans in South Florida,” she said, as Irish musician Kathy Durkin sang in the background. “With the exception of a note from their doctors, I expect them all here.”

The genuinely Irish and those who just wear the green at this time of year had both Saturday and Sunday to hear traditional and modern Irish music, see cultural dancing, enjoy bangers, fish and chips and Guinness. Hynes says the event also provided those in South Florida “a chance to stock up” on traditional Irish items like claddaugh rings, soft Celtic-themed blankets and more.

Also, she said, “it’s always good to reconnect. All of us are from someplace else, at least most of us, and it’s nice to be able to get together and sing along to both songs our mothers sang, and Celtic rock.”

Attendees, almost all wearing at least something green, said Irish Fest was a chance not only to celebrate the season, but to enjoy a lovely warm and rain-free day, as well as a glimpse of the newly-opened waterfront.

“You can’t beat this Chamber of Commerce day! 76 degrees and great!,” said Kenny Pope of West Palm Beach. “I got my fish and chips, my Harp Lager. The kids are having a blast. It’s great.”

“I’ve got a Harp for me, and a Miller Lite for the wife,” said his friend Rob Lerro of Lake Worth. “I was a little embarrassed to be ordering a Miller Lite here, but it was for her.”

Over at the face painting tent, Jennifer Gardner of West Palm Beach was watching daughter Iris, 2 1/2, being transformed from a cute little girl into “a fairy princess,” after having a ball with brother Jace, 4, in the bounce house.

“We’re really liking the music, and it’s just fun seeing them have fun,” said Gardner.

Nearby, Nicole Mumford, 5, and her sister Hannah, 4, were turning cartwheels in the grass as bubbles floated through the air. Their father Jason, of Singer Island, said they were looking forward to the Irish dancing, and he and wife Tory were excited to check out the waterfront.

“We came to the grand opening, and it was tough with the little ones, because there weren’t as many vendors. But here we are again, and we’re having fun,” said Mumford. “We love things like this.”

lstreeter@pbpost.com