Food Festival Guide 2017
Mon Mar 06 2017
Here’s our guide to some of the best food festivals taking place around Ireland in 2017. Mark your iCalendars, people – you will not want to miss out.
February 2017
23rd February – 25th February 2017: Alltech brew festival
Location: The Convention Centre, Co Dublin
The Fair will feature a host of local & international craft beverages as well as local culinary delights. Musical entertainment will be provided by a range of pop and rock acts from around the country and further afield. Food experts will be on hand throughout the whole Fair to help educate palates with unique food pairing to excite our taste buds.
27th February – 5th March 2015: Dine In Dublin
Location: Over 70 restaurants throughout Dublin
Dine in Dublin is back again for its ninth year from the 27th of February until the 5th of March 2017. Get ready for every foodie’s dream week with events, demonstrations, and great offers all around the city to tantalise your taste buds.
March 2017
17th – 19th March 2017: Dublin Bay Prawn Festival
Location: Howth Village, Co Dublin
How do you like your prawns – barbecued, whole, shelled, fried, skewered, marinated, sauced? The many award-winning restaurants in Howth will serve your favourite prawn dishes in bite sized portions at the Harbour Festival Food Village during this year’s Dublin Bay Prawn Festival, as well as a variety of other miniature dishes. This is a fantastic day out for the family and this year see the festival link in again with the St. Patrick’s Day Festival.
April 2017
3rd – 10th April 2017: Cork Whiskey Festival
Location: Various locations around Cork city
As the home of the best-selling Irish whiskey in the world, sure it is only proper that Cork should have its own festival dedicated to all things whiskey. Whiskeys from across the country and the world will be celebrated with tastings, talks and tours in some of the city’s best known bars and restaurants.
13th – 17th April 2017: Galway Food Festival
Location: Various locations around Galway
Over the Easter weekend you can enjoy five festive days of open-air markets, food trails and family fun. Last year, over 70,000 people attended Galway Food Festival events including the festival food village at Spanish Arch; the Galway, Moycullen and Woodquay Country Markets and a packed programme of talks, tours, tastings, demonstrations and workshops involving over 100 restaurants, food outlets and food producers located across the city and County.
21st – 23rd April 2017: West Waterford Festival of Food
Location: Dungarvan, Co Waterford
West Waterford Festival of Food centred in Dungarvan is a mecca for food lovers and fun seekers with a programme that has proven to be the perfect mix of free events and ticketed ones and an equally perfect mix of high-end dining opportunities and casual bistro experiences. It certainly offers something for all ages and tastes. The festival revolves around local seasonal produce. This year brings the 10th annual festival, and it’s set to be even bigger and better than before with lots of new and exciting activities joining many old favourites on the programme for the weekend.
26th April – 1st May 2017: Roscommon Lamb Festival
Location: Gleesons Town House, Co Roscommon
Roscommon is known for its quality lamb and has the highest output of lamb in the country. This festival celebrates the tradition of sheep farming as well as celebrating local produce and craftwork. With lots of fun and exciting activities for families to take part in with a programme that include heritage, sport, music and educational events.
28th – 30th April 2017: Connemara Mussel Festival
Location: Tully Cross, Renvyle Penninsula, Co Galway
This is the 12th year of the Connemara Mussel Festival and this year there is plenty to look forward to in beautiful Connemara over the May bank holiday weekend including cooking demos, an artisan market and a Gala Dinner. The festival is a true celebration of the local people, food, culture and heritage as well as being a premier food event for Connemara.
May 2017
12th – 14th May 2017: The Annual Burren Slow Food Festival
Location: The Burren, Co Clare
Now in its 11th year, this year’s Burren Slow Food Festival will feature an Artisan Producers and Farmer’s Market with delicacies from all over County Clare and beyond. Another highlight to expect this year is a celebration of Ireland’s best gins and raw cheeses.
19th – 21st May 2017: Litfest 2017
Location: Ballymaloe House and Cookery School, Co Cork
The Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine brought 8000 people onto the grounds of Ballymaloe House and Cookery School in May 2013 including national and international authors, chefs, foragers, educators, wine experts, gardeners, publishers, TV presenters, bloggers and journalists. Again, this year, The Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine is the only festival of its kind in Ireland and has created an important hub for food enthusiasts worldwide to meet and share ideas with each other.
27th – 28th May: Wexford Food Festival
Location: Wexford town
During this weekend, you can expect a tasty schedule of mouth-watering events for adults and children including cookery demos, wine and beer tasting as well as foraging events and an open air local food producers’ market.
28th May 2017: Sheridans Food Festival 2017
Location: Virginia Road Station headquarters, Co Meath.
Sheridans Cheesemongers will host its 8th Irish Food Festival on Sunday 28th May 2017. There will be over 100 Irish food producers there as well as workshops and entertainment for all the family.
June 2017
1st – 5th June 2017: Bloom in the Park
Location:Phoenix Park, Dublin
Bloom offers something for everyone, a fantastic family event. Visitors to Bloom will enjoy cookery and craft demonstrations, free gardening advice from the experts, Irish food produce, live entertainment and gardening workshops. Kids attend Bloom for free. Bloom is set over 70 acres in the heart of the Phoenix Park.
15th – 18th June 2017: Taste of Dublin 2017
Location: Iveagh Gardens, Co Dublin
The Iveagh Gardens will be transformed into Taste of Dublin for four delicious days. This is a summer delight of eating, drinking and entertainment. More than 20 of the city’s latest, greatest and hottest restaurants will be dishing up their finest in an unbeatable alfresco gourmet feast, while 100 producers provide a bounty of the best food and beverages, ensuring that guests sample and shop for a range of produce in the laid-back atmosphere of a boutique food market.
16th – 18th June 2017: Bia Lover
Location: Athenry, Co. Galway
Bia Lover is a family friendly festival that celebrates all that is great about Irish food. This year’s event promises a great mix of food markets, demonstrations, art trails, special dinners, brunches and banquets, food-tasting and talks and much more.
23th – 25th June 2017: Flavours of Fingal
Location: Newbridge House & Farm, Donabate, Co Dublin
Experience family fun at the farm and mouth-watering locally produced food, all in the rustic setting of Newbridge House and Farm at the Flavours of Fingal Show. There is a wide range of activities for the family including doggie shows, livestock competitions, arts and crafts activities, cooking exhibitions and cake bake-offs as well as a special kids zone with bouncy castle.
July 2017
6th – 9th July 2017: Kilmore Quay Seafood Festival
Location: Kilmore Quay Harbour, Co Wexford
Each July, Kilmore Quay, a charming and picturesque fishing village, on the south-east coast of Ireland, celebrates summer with delicious seafood platters, fishing and lots of fun activities for all the family.
7th – 9th of July 2017: Flavour of Killorglin
Location: Killorglin, Co Kerry
The Flavour of Killorglin food festival is all about celebrating diversity in food, local food producers, restaurants and the community. It is a fantastic weekend with various events taking place each day for families and foodies alike
29th – 30th July 2017: Duagh Festival
Location: Duagh, Co Kerry
Duagh Festival celebrates produce and people. Its a weekend of food, fire and good friends with national and international BBQ aficionados who cook and share their insights during this weekend festival. Featuring Asado, Hangi and good old “Low ‘n Slow” this weekend is a BBQ lover’s dream.
TBC July 2017: Féile na Mara / Achill Island Festival of the Sea
Location: Achill Island, Co Mayo
Féile na Mara takes place each July and is a culinary celebration of Achill’s rich heritage with the sea and it showcases the bountiful harvest of the Atlantic Ocean.
August 2017
4th – 6th August 2017: Enniscorthy Rockin’ Food Festival
Location: Enniscorthy, Co Wexford
The festival aims to offer everything we all love about Summer in one big fun filled weekend while highlighting both the Rock N’ Roll and Food scene in Enniscorthy. So whether you love to swing through the streets or munch through the treats, it’s assured to be the ultimate jam packed, family fun festival this Summer, not to be missed.
11th – 12th August 2017: Taste of Cavan 2017
Location: Food Marquee, Catheral Road, Cavan
The Taste of Cavan, now in its 6th year, is a two-day festival of food guaranteeing a sumptuous foodie and family experience. The event showcases extraordinary and diverse local food producers, chefs and restaurants in County Cavan. The event gives visitors an opportunity to sample and purchase the finest of Cavan fare from award winning cheeses, handmade chocolate, ice cream and organic sausages to boxty, breads, muffins, mushrooms, liquors, honey, meats and local jams. Enjoy food demonstrations on both days by top Irish chefs.
17th – 20th August 2017: The Big Grill Festival
Location: Herbert Park, Dublin
The Big Grill Festival is the ultimate BBQ festival and a meat lover’s dream come true. This year there will be over 25 pitmasters and restaurants, over 50 food stalls and producers, eating competitions, demos and talks, live music, whiskey and gin bars as well as a low and slow barbecue cooking competition.
19th -20th August 2017: Groove Festival
Location: Kilruddery House & Gardens, Bray, Co Wicklow
Groove Festival will be returning for its 5th year to the stunning, world-renowned surrounds of Killruddery House & Gardens. The space offers an oasis of calm, open space for well being, fun and creativity, and is the perfect setting for a summer festival escape for all the family.
25th – 27th August 2017: Doolin Craft Beer Festival
Location: Hotel Doolin, Fitz’s Cross, Doolin, Co. Clare
The Doolin Craft Beer Festival is back for the 6th year running with the same winning ingredients – great beers from craft brewers all around Ireland, some of Clare’s best musicians, and food from local artisan producers. This year there will be more than fifty varieties of Irish Craft Beer on tap and an artisan BBQ with open-pit cooking. This Festival is the ultimate end of summer hooley.
September 2017
1st – 3rd September 2017: Electric Picnic
Location: Stradbally, Co Laois
For those of you who love good music and good food. Electric Picnic has everything to offer. This year the Theatre of Food will be returning to the ultimate end of summer Irish festival with its delicious smorgasbord of cutting-edge food demos, wired-up mixology, inspired culinary workshops, and far-out foodie tastings.
8th – 10th September 2017: Waterford Harvest Festival
Location: The Mall, Co Waterford
Three days of fun foodie activities for all with a local food market, wellness and healthy food area, cookery demos, and a Blaa eating competition.
7th – 9th September 2017: Irish Craft Beer Festival
Location: RDS, Co Dublin
Ireland’s largest celebrations of craft brewing returns to the RDS again this year with over 300 craft beers, ciders, whiskies and cocktails too as well as artisan food producers and great music.
8th – 17th September 2017: A Taste of West Cork
Location: Skibbereen, West Cork
A Taste of West Cork Food Festival brings together a unique mix of food markets and demonstrations, cookery competitions, special dinners, brunches and banquets, food-tastings, talks, exhibitions, children’s events and more.
19th – 21st September 2017: National Ploughing Championships
Location: Screggan, Co Offaly
This massive festival celebrates not only ploughing and all things agricultural but showcases some of the best Irish food too. There are plenty of food samples to nibble on throughout the weekend as well as cookery demos and a huge food market too.
22nd – 24th September: Galway International Oyster & Seafood Festival
Location: Galway City
Galway City will come alive with seafood and oysters as it celebrates the 63rd Galway International Oyster & Seafood Festival. It is Ireland’s oldest food festival and the world’s longest running oyster festival. Since it started, the Galway International Oyster & Seafood Festival has welcomed over half a million visitors, consumed more than 3 million oysters – washed down with champagne and stout whilst listening to some of the best musicians in Ireland.
October 2017
9th – 10th October 2017: Food On The Edge
Location: Galway City
The brainchild of JP McMahon, Food on the Edge is a coming-together of top international chefs for a two-day Food Symposium in Galway city on the Wild Atlantic Way. It takes place over two days every year in October. Food on the Edge is a not-for-profit conference seeking to make good food accessible for everyone.
14th – 15th October 2017: Kinsale Gourmet Festival
Location: Kinsale, Co Cork
The 41st Kinsale Gourmet Festival is a celebration of all the culinary delights that Kinsale has to offer. Visitors come from far and wide to attend the sell-out weekend and are never disappointed by the mixture of great food and superb fun on offer. Other exciting events over the weekend include a celebrity chef cook-off; and an eight course Degustation black tie dinner showcasing the best of West Cork Produce and champagnes from the festival sponsors.
26th – 30th October 2017 Savour Kilkenny Festival of Food
Location: Kilkenny town, Co Kilkenny
Now in its 11th year, Savour Kilkenny Festival of Food is truly a festival for all food lovers. Set against the backdrop of the beautiful medieval city of Kilkenny, in Ireland’s South East, Savour brings together local top quality food produce, well known talented Chefs, a mix of exciting, tasty food choices in our markets, and plenty more for everybody out there to enjoy. Over the course of the four-day festival, there will be an extensive selection of both free and ticketed events including; food markets, cookery demonstrations, pop-up School of Food courses, foodie debates and discussions, plenty of dining events in local hotels, restaurants, cafés and bars and much more.
November 2017
25th November 2017: Whiskey Live
Location: Dublin Castle, Dublin
Whiskey Live Dublin is Ireland’s premier whiskey tasting event, showcasing both the long established and new arrivals to the Irish whiskey scene. The event also offers wonderful food pairings and cocktails provided by some of Dublin’s most esteemed bars and restaurants.
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