Ireland’s Food & Drink Festival Guide August 2019
Wed Jul 31 2019
Ireland’s Food & Drink Festival Guide August 2019
written by Melanie May
There are so many delicious food festivals, funky music festivals and fun-filled family festivals taking place in Ireland in August 2019, your calendar is going to be jam-packed.
Here are just a few of our favourite festivals taking place in Ireland in August 2019.
1st – 31st August 2019: Cork Craft and Design Month
Location: Various venues, Co. Cork
Cork Craft Month is an annual celebration of the very best of Cork’s unique crafts and artwork. The festival shows off the talent of artists working across a range of disciplines including ceramics, stone carving, textiles, jewellery, woodturning and furniture making. The festival events take place both in the city and around the county of Cork.
2nd – 4th August 2019: Spraoi Festival
Location: Waterford City, Co. Waterford
The Spraoi Festival is a week-long programme of arts and science events and experiences at Garter Lane Arts Centre in the city of Waterford. This free festival attracts 100,000 people who gather in the city’s medieval streets to enjoy the street arts and performances. On the last day of the festival, there is a parade featuring hundreds of performers in vibrant costumes.
2nd – 4th August 2019: All Together Now
Location: Curraghmore House, Co. Waterford
All Together Now takes place on the August Bank Holiday Weekend (2nd, 3rd and 4th) in the exquisite grounds of Curraghmore House, in Co. Waterford.
But what has us salivating is the food festival within this music festival.
Food and Feast at All Together Now is the workings of Vanessa Clarke, the original brains behind Electric Picnic’s Theatre of Food and it brings together the creme of Ireland’s chefs and the best food producers and suppliers from Ireland and further afield.
2nd – 5th August 2019: 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 sure to be the ultimate jam-packed, family-fun festival this Summer, not to be missed.
2nd – 5th August 2019: Indiependence Festival
Location: Mitchelstown, Co. Cork
The Indiependence Festival is a music and arts festival with great musical acts as well as spoken word performers, a comedy stage and a small cinema too. Headliners this year include Bastille, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Biffy Clyro, Lewis Capaldi and Gavin James.
2nd – 10th August 2019: Birr Vintage Week and Arts Festival
Location: Birr, Co. Offaly
Step back in time during this week-long festival in the beautiful Georgian heritage town of Birr in Co. Offaly and enjoy an inclusive programme of events based around all things vintage and artsy. One of the highlights of the festival is the procession of vintage cars carrying passengers in period costumes. It is a sight to behold and you’ll feel like you’ve stepped back in time.
3rd – 4th August 2019: Beat Yard
Location: Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin
Yes, Beat Yard is a music festival, but it also has over 50 food stalls and food producers on site bringing you tasty, fresh food and local brews. This a like a mini food festival within a music festival.
7th – 11th August 2019: Dublin Horse Show
Location: RDS, Dublin
The Dublin Horse Show is the social event of the season for many people and as it combines sport, style and socialising. Dress up to the nines for Ladies Day and you may win a prize, take a look at the best show jumpers in the world or just hang around sipping wine and chatting over good food. If you have an affinity for horses, this is the place to be this August.
8th – 12th August 2019: Carlingford Oyster Festival
Location: Carlingford, Co. Louth
Celebrating Carlingford’s most famous export, the Oyster Festival is five fun-filled days with a seafood theme. There are plenty of events planned for the whole family including a magic show, face painting, teddy bear’s picnic, and a funfair with bouncing castles for the children. For the adults, there is live music in the local pubs, a ‘lovely girl’ competition (they all have lovely bottoms!), an oyster-eating competition and late-night events.
9th – 10th August 2019: Taste of Cavan 2019
Location: Food Marquee, Cathedral Road, Co. Cavan
The Taste of Cavan, now in its 7th 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 allows visitors 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.
10th – 12th August 2019: Puck Fair
Location: Killorglin, Co. Kerry
Puck Fair is Ireland’s oldest festival and it is held is beautiful Killorglin in Co. Kerry. On each day, there is 12 hours of family street entertainment and fun as well as workshops and circus performances. There are open-air concerts every night and all of these are free of charge. On the last night of the festival, there is a huge fireworks display.
11th – 18th August 2019: Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann
Location: Drogheda, Co. Louth
Held in the heart of the historic Boyne Valley, the Fleadh Cheoil is the important Irish music and cultural event of the year, and it is also one of the biggest parties in the country! The Fleadh sees thousands of people from around the world enjoy a huge array of events dedicated to Irish music, song, and dance. This festival really is one big celebration of all things ‘ceoil agus craic’.
15th – 18th August 2019: 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.
16th – 18th August 2019: Another Love Story
Location: Killyon Manor, Hill of Down, Co. Meath
Another Love Story is an intimate, boutique music festival with lots of heart. It is billed as a “weekend celebration of music, conversation, food and fun”, now doesn’t that sound marvellous? You can bring your booze, there is camping, tickets are reasonably priced and there are loads of great local and international acts and DJs on the lineup.
17th – 18th August 2019: Love Sensation
Location: Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin
Love Sensation is a two-day pop music and arts festival aimed at the LGBT+ community, and, of course, their many friends too. The lineup includes Lily Allen, Clean Bandit, Kelis, Gossip and a whole host of other acts across three different stages. The main stage is hosted by the fabulous Panti Bliss.
22nd – 25th August 2019: Dalkey Lobster Festival
Location: Dalkey, Co. Dublin
A fabulous fusion of food, traditional music and craic is what you can expect from this festival by the sea in Dalkey. Last year’s event was a great success and there is a terrific atmosphere as well a delicious lobster to be enjoyed.
23rd – 25th August 2019: A Taste of Donegal
Location: Donegal Town
Over 120 food producers from all over the UK and Ireland will bring a variety of cuisines and tastes to Donegal Pier for this year’s festival. Expect demos from celebrity chefs and plenty of food, wine and beer tastings too.
30th August – 1st September 2019: 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.
