On March 17, 2025 the Riverside City Firefighters Association’s Pipes and Drum Band marched through Downtown Riverside for its 5th Annual St. Paddy’s Day Pub Crawl to celebrate the rich heritage of Irish and Scottish firefighting traditions.
The RCFA Pipes and Drum Band was founded in 2018 by Captain Ben Hunt and a small group of local firefighters. Since its founding, the band’s striking combination of bagpipes and drums has become a symbol of community pride and a tribute to those who serve and sacrifice.
“It’s a sense of community, everybody coming together, we get to have people come out and hang out with our families, not just at work where we are gone so much. We get to bring everyone together and the community together,” said Capt. Ben Hunt.
The band members are affiliated with the Riverside City Firefighters Foundation, with the proceeds from their performances supporting the foundation's efforts to assist Riverside heroes, including active, retired, disabled, and fallen firefighters, as well as their families.
“Our goal is to support fallen firefighters and their families and that is why we play,” said Capt. Ben Hunt.
RCFA Pub Crawl Pathway
The event kicked off at 6:00 PM at ProAbition, where the first round of performances began alongside merchandise sales to help continue the efforts. Following this, the band performed a selection of Scottish and Irish tunes at Wolfskill. The evening concluded with an extended series of vibrant performances at The State, where both the band and the audience engaged in a series of enthusiastic encore requests, marking the culmination of the St. Patrick's Day festivities.