Family focus for St Patrick’s Festival in Kilkenny

St Patrick’s Festival Kilkenny is gearing up for an action-packed weekend, with 80 events taking place across the four-day celebration culminating in the Grand Parade on Bank Holiday Tuesday.

While Monday (March 16) is business as usual for local commerce, schools across Kilkenny are taking the opportunity to extend the holiday to a four-day weekend. The festival programme includes a myriad of family workshops and entertainment geared towards younger citizens and visitors during the extended break.

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Featured events include Learn to be a Knight at the Medieval Museum and The Big Dig, hosted by the Irish School of Archaeology in Canal Square. The creative, hands-on workshop allows children to excavate the remains of a simulated Viking house and unearth treasures dating back 1,000 years. Aspiring knights can train in a fast-paced workshop about bravery, teamwork, and big medieval fun in the museum, including a thrilling mini-tournament.

Young historians can step back in time to discover the secrets of the Medieval city on a humorous walking tour with Nevin Cody of Shenanigans Walks. Discover Kilkenny's witch trials and local legends with a touch of magic and plenty of Shenanigans! Déise Medieval recreates the crafts and skills of the early to mid-medieval period in a free drop-in event in the Castle Yard.

In theatre, ‘Out of the Blue’, a clown-based show, and 'Dr Jay's Amazing Science Show' will bring experiments to life with explosions, engineering marvels, and a good dose of chaos.

Festival Market at Kilkenny’s Parade Plaza

At the centre of the festivities is Kilkenny’s Parade Plaza and vibrant festival market, open daily until 8pm throughout the celebration. It features nostalgic carnival rides, panoramic views of Kilkenny from the big wheel and a vintage carousel. Face painting, children’s theatre, and surprise performances entertain the little ones while adults can enjoy local food and craft stallholders. Watch out for the Stilt Walkers, Roving Pirates, Penny Farthing Papperazzi, Convicts on the Run, Shamrock the Leprechaun and more!

Festival Chairperson, Cllr. John Coonan, Mayor of Kilkenny City, commented, 

“Kilkenny is taking on a real family focus this year, from adventure and thrills to history, music and skills development. There’s lots of activity on the programme for the younger visitors this St Patrick’s Festival Weekend. We look forward to the bank holiday weekend in Kilkenny each year, when the city and festival market come alive to celebrate the national holiday. We encourage people to book early or come to Kilkenny for one of the many free events on the programme.”

St Patrick’s Festival Kilkenny, presented by Kilkenny County Council, offers a mix of ticketed and free events across the festival weekend from March 14 to 17. The full programme is available from www.stpatricksfestivalkilkenny.com.