Savour the flavour in Kilkenny this Bank Holiday weekend

Savour Kilkenny 2025 returns until Monday, October 27, transforming Kilkenny City into a vibrant celebration of food, community, and creativity.

Now in its 19th year, the festival will showcase the very best of Ireland’s culinary talent, artisan producers, and local hospitality. From Saturday to Sunday, the city’s Parade and Castle Road will be transformed into a vibrant hub of food, fun, and festivity, with a reduced market and many activities on Monday for Savour Monday.

The Festival Quarter, which is free to enter, will feature over 100 stalls, live cookery demos, street entertainment, craft beer and distillers marquee, and community celebrations for all ages. Opening hours are 10am to 9pm on Saturday, 10am to 6pm on Sunday, and 11am to 4pm on Monday (The Parade only), offering three full days of flavour-packed fun.
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At the heart of the action is the Savour Market, a bustling showcase of more than 100 artisan producers and street food stalls. Visitors can taste and shop their way through an array of Irish flavours from fresh produce and baked goods to gourmet street food and international bites.

The Craft Brewers and Distillers Marquee will celebrate Ireland’s craft drinks scene, where visitors can sample local beers, spirits, and cocktails, meet the makers behind them and soak in the music from the marquee’s resident DJ.

“The Craft Brewers and Distillers Marquee is one of the festival’s most popular spots, it’s where people can meet the brewers and distillers and hear the stories behind their favourite Irish drinks, and experience the incredible creativity happening across Ireland’s independent brewing and distilling scene,” said Seamus O’Hara, Founder of O’Hara’s Brewery.

The Savour Stage and Taste Stage will host free cookery demonstrations all weekend, featuring some of Ireland’s most celebrated chefs and food personalities.

Highlights include appearances from festival favourites such as Rory O’Connell, Rachel Allen, Kevin Dundon and Kilkenny’s own Edward Hayden and Anne Neary and demos and book signings from Sarah Butler (Batch Cooking), Edgar Kirby (Edgar’s Real Life Recipes), and Sophie Morris (Sophie’s Swaps), as well as demos focused on sustainability, creativity, and Irish food innovation. Across the Quarter, visitors can also meet local food producers supported by the Kilkenny LEADER Partnership Programme in the Food Producers Pavilion, where tastings and stories from emerging Irish food producers.

Families will find plenty to enjoy in the Festival Quarter and the Kids Zone on Mayor’s Walk featuring face painting, PK Entertainment, stilt walkers, and the Gusto Halloween Circus Show.

The Quarter’s lively atmosphere continues into the evening with the return of the Savour the Night Street Party on Saturday, with the Savour Market, Craft Brewers and Distillers Marquee, Entertainment and the Caravan Club Extravaganz, a DJ set with Mike Hammond at the top of Castle Road until 9pm. Also that night, the sold out Castle Park Concert will return and host the much-anticipated Springsteen — A Tribute concert, set against the stunning backdrop of Kilkenny Castle.

On Savour Monday, October 27, the festival winds down with a relaxed final day on the Parade. The Monday Market offers a calmer version of the weekend bustle, perfect for picking up a few last bites and local gifts.

Ticketed events are selling fast, with many already sold out weeks in advance, as both locals and visitors eagerly anticipate the return of Savour Kilkenny 2025 this October Bank Holiday weekend.

For full event listings, ticket information, and festival updates, visit www.savourkilkenny.com.