North Kilkenny town to play host to major arts festival
The two day festival is highly anticipated in Urlingford and its environs
The countdown is on for the first-ever Urlingford Creative Arts Festival, a vibrant two-day celebration of art, creativity, music and community taking place on Thursday, August 13 and Friday, August 14.
Running as part of the Alternative Kilkenny Arts (AKA) Festival during Kilkenny Arts Week, the festival will showcase the incredible creative talent that exists within Urlingford and the surrounding region.
Designed to foster connection, inspire creativity and celebrate local culture, the festival offers something for everyone—from art lovers and families to music enthusiasts and aspiring writers.
The festival officially begins at 6.30pm this evening (Thursday) in Urlingford Community Hall with an opening reception, where guests are invited to enjoy complimentary refreshments, hear welcome addresses and explore an exhibition, curated by Mary Doyle, featuring the work of talented local and award-winning artists.
The evening continues with a Spoken Word & Poetry Showcase, featuring acclaimed local voices including Paddy Doyle, Trisha Norton, and special guests, celebrating storytelling, poetry and the rich literary tradition of the area.
At 9pm, the celebrations move to Hayes' Pub, where renowned local traditional Irish band Colcannon will provide an evening of live music, bringing the community together for a memorable opening night.
On the second day of festivities, creativity continues across Urlingford Community Hall and Coffee To A Tea with a full programme of hands-on workshops suitable for children, teenagers and adults.
Visitors can take part in a range of activities throughout the day, including children’s art workshops, creative writing workshops for teens and adults, adult art workshops and the unique and much-loved Paint a Hurl Workshop.
The festival’s group exhibition will also remain open throughout the day, showcasing exceptional work from local and award-winning artists including Mary Doyle Burke, James Wellwood, Ann Kavanagh, Caroline Kellaghan and Doris Yáñez, alongside many more talented exhibitors.
“The Urlingford Creative Arts Festival has been created to celebrate the artistic talent within the local community while encouraging people of all ages to engage with creativity in accessible and meaningful ways,” a spokesperson for the festival told Kilkenny Live.
“Festival organisers hope this inaugural event will become an annual fixture in the cultural calendar, strengthening community connections and highlighting Urlingford as a hub for arts and culture in North Kilkenny.
“Everyone is warmly invited to come along, support local artists, enjoy live performances and help make the very first Urlingford Creative Arts Festival an unforgettable success,” they added.
The festival is funded by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, with support from An Chéad Tine.