Music, drama, action - Kilkenny Arts Festival is officially under way!

Kilkenny Arts Festival is officially under way for 2026 with a fantastic official opening event at Butler House and Gardens.

From theatre to contemporary dance, from visual arts to music of all genres, literature and so much more, Kilkenny Arts Festival (KAF) has put together an exciting programme of events of the highest calibre, thrilling audiences of all kinds.

Already, audiences have been treated to some Secret Garden Music, as well as the dazzling Anchorpoint - a thrilling aerial performance where the performers use the strength of their hair to bear their body weight, using high-skilled aerial rope work and the Knothead technique.

Since its foundation in 1974, Kilkenny Arts Festival has gathered many of the world’s finest musicians, performers, writers and artists in Ireland’s medieval city. For ten days each August, the city’s historic churches, castle, courtyards, townhouses and gardens offer a magical setting for unique collaborations and intimate encounters between audiences and artists.

Speaking of the festival programme, Festival Director Olga Barry says bold new work sits front and centre at Kilkenny - where Kilkenny audiences see and hear work first, staged in unique ways, and where major projects are made especially for Kilkenny.

“With opera, theatre, music and performance all changing the boundaries of artistic expression, Kilkenny Arts Festival welcomes those with curious minds and open hearts -welcoming the blurring of lines and discarding the ‘labels’. This programme brings the celebration of humanity to the fore,” she said.

Among the highlights of this year’s festival will be the world premiere of the winner of the Fedora International Opera Prize, The Curing Line, while former President of Ireland Mary Robinson will give the Hubert Butler Lecture.

For booking, see kilkennyarts.ie.