JUST ANNOUNCED: Kilkenny Arts Festival unveils packed programme for 52nd year

Kilkenny Arts Festival officially announces its main summer programme today (Wednesday), with a plethora of new projects and commissions, exquisite performances, new collaborations, intriguing installations and residencies and more.

Festival Director Olga Barry said organisers were delighted to announce the 52nd edition of Kilkenny Arts Festival.

“For over half a century, August in the Marble City has been synonymous with extraordinary artists and performers bringing their work to our beautiful city and fantastic audiences,” she said.
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“New ideas in ancient spaces is the hallmark of Kilkenny in the late summer, and this year’s programme is packed with the new; world and Irish premieres, intriguing collaborations and residencies, intimate experiences and epic spectacle occupy Kilkenny both in centre stage and all around the edges. In 2025 the work of these creators doesn’t shy away from some of the big questions facing humanity and society today — we invite everyone to come and join us to experience this special kinship between artists and audiences.’’

Highlights include multiple premiere performances across various disciplines:
The premiere performance of Custom of the Coast – a dramatic new work framing the stories of two women who changed Ireland – Savita Halappanavar and Anne Bonny – from US/Indian composer Kamala Sankaram and text from poet Paul Muldoon. Directed by Alan Gilsenan and Music;

The premiere of Peter Hanly’s What Are you Afraid Of? with the Festival’s most frequent theatre partners of recent years, Rough Magic. Directed by the award-winning Lynne Parker and featuring Hanly himself playing the main role in this extraordinary work of self-interrogation;

The premiere of a new audio/visual projection spectacle from the genre-defying artist Laura Sheeran for Light Up the Castle 2025 – ‘Because You’re Free’ for Kilkenny Castle;

The premiere of Neon Dusk — a new work featuring an acrobatic blend of spectacle, movement and contemporary circus from Jonah McGreevy, Mafalda Conclaves and Daniel Seabra. It’s a spectacle powered by solar energy which offers a surreal and highly original take on human movement;

There is no shortage of classical music at St Canice’s Cathedral, always a highlight of the festival. This year features three of Ireland’s finest ensembles directed by three of the world’s most exciting and acclaimed interpreters of their chosen repertoire – Paul Hillier makes a welcome return to KAF2025 with festival favourites, Chamber Choir Ireland – Hillier’s unique and personal relationship with the iconic Estonian composer Arvo Pärt will make this special concert celebrating the composer on his 90th birthday year.

The Irish Baroque Orchestra, directed by their Olivier award-winning director Peter Whelan perform the Dublin version of Handel’s Alexander’s Feast in advance of their BBC Proms debut with the same programme.

The festival’s adored orchestra in residence, Irish Chamber Orchestra, welcome their newest artistic partner to Kilkenny for the first time, as Henning Kraggerud directs a programme.

In a lunchtime series at St John’s Priory, the festival opens with Fahmi Alqhai on Viola da Gamba presenting a pair of concerts featuring adored works from the 1600s from Marin Marais and Sainte-Colombe through interpretations of JS Bach up to Jimi Hendrix and Alqhai himself.

The Butler Gallery in association with the Festival presents a remarkable exhibition – Cities of the World curated by Butler Gallery director, Anna O’Sullivan – exploring the theme of Cities of the World by two artists, Kathy Prendergast and Chris Leach.

The ever-popular free, twice daily pop-up concert series, Secret Garden Music is featured throughout the festival across the fabric of Kilkenny City and environs.

More artists and performances will be announced this evening in the full festival programme. Booking is open now online at kilkennyarts.ie or by phone 056-7752175.