The hallowed halls of Beckwith Theatre will ring with the festive traditional Irish tunes from Kennedy’s Kitchen this weekend, as the South Bend band makes its annual stop at the Dowagiac playhouse Saturday.

With St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, the six-person Irish folk group will perform for local audiences beginning at 7:30 p.m. that evening at the theater, located at 100 New York Ave. Doors open at 7 p.m., with an intermission taking place between sets.

Tickets for the concert cost $20, and include hors d’oeuvres and beverages. People may make reservations for the show by calling (269) 782-7653 or by emailing info@beckwiththeatre.com. Tickets will also be sold at the door.

Saturday will mark the eighth stop by the South Bend Irish band to the Grand Old City and the Beckwith Theatre.

Jeff Gunn, a member of the theater group, initially reached out to the band after watching them perform during a WNIT telethon to ask if they could perform at Beckwith. The company was struggling financially at the time, so Gunn figured the theater could use the extra boost in ticket sales outside of its regular performance season, he said.

The first concert, hosted in July, was an enjoyable evening for both the crowd and Kennedy’s Kitchen. Since then, the band has continued to reach out to Beckwith officials to book a show at the 100-plus-year-old building as part of its St. Patrick’s Day fortnight” tour in March, Gunn said.

“John [Kennedy, the band’s leader] used to come up here when he was younger to the Sister Lakes area, so he knew Dowagiac fairly well before they started playing here,” Gunn said. “They love coming here and we love having them.”

The Beckwith stage makes an intimate setting for the group’s style of traditional Irish folk tunes, with the playhouse’s unique acoustics enveloping audiences, who are seated just a few feet away from the performers.

Audiences can expect to hear both time-honored Irish classics, such as “Danny Boy” and “Whiskey in the Jar,” as well as some of the band’s original compositions. The band also chats with audiences during intermission and following the performance, further adding to fun and festive atmosphere of the evening, Gunn said.

The concert draws an ever-growing audience to the theater every year, comprised of both regulars to the playhouse’s performances as well as those who come out just to listen to the unique sounds of Kennedy’s Kitchen, Gunn said.

“It is a great way to kick off spring and the St. Patrick’s Day season,” Gunn said.