What's on in Kilkenny, Ireland through the year

Busy — Christmas break in Ireland, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Busy — February mid-term break in Ireland, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in February.

Peak crowds — St Patrick's Festival and Tradfest, St Patrick's Day

• Festival

  St Patrick's Festival and Tradfest

  13–17 Mar · usuallyMusic festivalCrowdedBook early

  Kilkenny's St Patrick's weekend is built around Tradfest: a parade, a funfair and over a hundred free trad sessions in the pubs along the music trail, plus ticketed concerts. Rooms go early. Source ↗

• Holiday

  St Patrick's Day

  16–18 MarNational holidayCrowded

  17 March is a public holiday with a parade in almost every town, followed by music sessions in packed pubs from midday. Hotels fill and rates rise, above all when it makes a long weekend, and visitors arrive from abroad for it. Source ↗

Busy — Easter break in Ireland, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Kilkenny Roots Festival

  1–4 MayMusic festivalCrowdedBook early

  Thirty-odd venues across the medieval streets run Americana, bluegrass and rockabilly acts from early afternoon into the night over the May bank holiday weekend, now approaching its thirtieth year. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Kilkenny Roots Festival, Cat Laughs comedy festival

• Festival

  Cat Laughs comedy festival

  28 May – 5 Jun · usuallyArts festivalCrowdedBook early

  Ireland's comedy weekend, run over the June bank holiday in pubs, halls and the castle grounds rather than one arena. The town is full and the late shows sell out long before the weekend. Source ↗

Still on: Kilkenny Roots Festival (1–4 May)

Peak crowds — Cat Laughs comedy festival, Summer holidays in Ireland

• Festival

  Ballykeeffe Amphitheatre summer

  20 Jun – 25 Aug · usuallyMusic festivalBook early

  Saturday-night concerts and plays in an open-air amphitheatre cut into a disused quarry, about 15 km west of the city. The better-known acts sell out, and evenings in the quarry turn cool. Source ↗

Still on: Cat Laughs comedy festival (28 May – 5 Jun (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Ireland, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Ballykeeffe Amphitheatre summer (20 Jun – 25 Aug (usually))

Peak crowds — Kilkenny Arts Festival, Summer holidays in Ireland

• Festival

  Kilkenny Arts Festival

  6–16 AugCrowdedBook early

  Ten days in August of classical music, theatre and literature using St Canice's cathedral and the medieval buildings as venues. The best week of the year to be here and the hardest to find a bed. Source ↗

Still on: Ballykeeffe Amphitheatre summer (20 Jun – 25 Aug (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in September.

Peak crowds — Savour Kilkenny, October mid-term break in Ireland

• Festival

  Savour Kilkenny

  22–26 OctHarvestCrowded

  A food festival over the October bank holiday, built around the county's producers with a market quarter on the Saturday and Sunday. It is the last busy weekend before the town goes quiet for winter. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Subtitle Film Festival, Yulefest Christmas market

• Festival

  Subtitle Film Festival

  17–29 Nov · usuallyCrowded

  A week of European cinema — Irish premieres alongside classics — screened at the Watergate Theatre and a handful of pubs and small venues around town in late November. Source ↗

• Festival

  Yulefest Christmas market

  26 Nov – 23 Dec · usuallyChristmas & New YearCrowded

  A free Christmas market sets up beside Kilkenny Castle on weekends from late November, with extra market days in the last days before Christmas. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Yulefest Christmas market, Christmas break in Ireland

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Yulefest Christmas market (26 Nov – 23 Dec (usually))