Tens of thousands to visit as Savour Kilkenny returns with celebration of Irish food culture

The Savour Kilkenny food festival returns this October Bank Holiday Weekend (Thursday, October 23 to Monday, October 27), expected to draw more than 65,000 visitors to Ireland’s Medieval capital.

Established 19 years ago, the festival will showcase the best of Irish food culture, with an emphasis on sustainability, local producers and reducing food waste.

Chefs on the Taste Stage will source at least a third of their ingredients within 20 miles of the city, while Savour Village stallholders promise to uphold the Green Vendor Pledge. The programme includes practical sessions, such as the Waste Not Workshop with Kilkenny Leader Partnership and Zero Waste Food for Your Family with Thermomix.

A fireside chat with Master Butchers Keith Grant and Jon Toy will demonstrate how shorter food miles deliver better flavour. The festival is once again powered by 100% green energy.
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Savour Kilkenny features cookery demos from Ireland’s top chefs and emerging talent, over 100 artisan producers and street food stalls, craft brewers and distillers, talks and workshops, and unique dining experiences across the county. Festival chairperson Ger Mullally said that the festival is a unique way of bringing together Kilkenny’s strong agricultural and culinary traditions.

“Savour Kilkenny has grown into one of Ireland’s most anticipated food festivals,” said Mr Mullaly.

“The county boasts rich pastureland, high-quality products, and skilled farmers. Savour brings it all together, showcasing fantastic food producers from Kilkenny and beyond, featuring cookery demos, kids' workshops, walks, talks and workshops that make for an eventful and tasty five-day festival.”

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Featuring over 80 events across the five-day programme, headline names include Rachel Allen, Kevin Dundon, Rory O’Connell, Paul Flynn and Sarah Butler, alongside festival favourites Edward Hayden and Anne Neary.

Making their Savour debut are Aisling Larkin, known for promoting healthy food habits, and popular Instagram creator Sophie Morris, who educates Irish shoppers on savvy supermarket swaps. Kilkenny’s culinary power couple, James Kavanagh and William Murray from The Simpler Life Podcast, will close out Savour Kilkenny demos for 2025.

Dining events feature a winemaker’s dinner, Cellar and Savour, at the Michelin-starred Lady Helen restaurant, the best of Statham’s popular Supper Club series celebrating Kilkenny’s artisan producers and a novel dining event, Comedy for Witches, with comedian Anna Clifford at Petronella, named after Petronella de Meath, who was condemned for witchcraft in Kilkenny 700 years ago.

Scheduled tours will bring visitors up close with Kilkenny’s food producers. Talks and workshops include a candid discussion with the men shaping the county’s vibrant food culture in The Patriarchs of Kilkenny’s Food Scene. Savour’s family programme features interactive cookery classes, food-themed workshops and lively entertainment, with Savour the Night extending festivities until 9pm.

The Savour Kilkenny festival marks the end of autumn in the Marble City, with over 65,000 people expected to visit between Thursday, October 23, and Monday, October 27. For more, see savourkilkenny.com.