PLAN YOUR FAMILY WEEKEND AT ST. PATRICK’S FESTIVAL KILKENNY – GET YOUR EVENT TICKETS NOW!
St. Patrick’s Festival Kilkenny is the place to be this St. Patrick’s weekend with four packed days of family fun from kids entertainment shows and funfair rides to music workshops and Fireworks!
The Festival begins on Friday 15th with the opening of the Festival Market and the Festival Funfair on the Parade Plaza and the first of the Kids entertainment shows and workshops!
We’ve put together some of the family and child friendly highlights of the weekend below. Get your tickets quick before they are gone!
JUANITA’S BIG PROBLEM
Juanita is a clown who tackles the climate crisis with positivity and laughter, and she wants to lift the lid on your recycling bin. What should we do with all this plastic? Where does all that plastic we recycle actually go? What can we do to stop it? Juanita can’t answer these questions on her own – she needs you to help her. So she invites the audience to assist in fulfilling her quest for a plastic-free world. Using clowning, plastic pollution is tackled in an provocative, entertaining and ridiculous way. An important, urgent and utterly hilarious show full of hope for our future. Suitable for ages 5 – 12
Date: Friday, 14th March | Times: 3pm & 6pm | Location: Shee Alms House, St. Mary’s Lane, Kilkenny
Cost: €3pp + BF | €10 + BF – family of 4 Book here!
RHYTHM MAKERS DRUMMING WORKSHOPS
Join Jeremy Hickey (of Rhythm Makers, Music Generation and R.S.A.G) for fun, relaxing and creatively stimulating drumming workshops. These sessions will help develop unity and listening skills through active music making.
Dates: Friday 14th, Saturday 15th, Sunday 16th March | Times: 4pm 4-6 years & 5pm 7-13 years Location: Shee Alms House, St. Mary’s Lane, Kilkenny | Cost: €5 +BF Book here!
DESERT BLOOM YOUNG KIDS SHOW
Desert Bloom is a captivating and enchanting production by Angelica Santander, a talented Chilean-Irish performer. This delightful show tells the story of the lifecycle of a unique red flower that grows in the arid landscapes of the Atacama Desert in Chile, South America. What makes this flower extraordinary is that it blooms only once every ten years, a rare and magical occurrence. Through a mesmerizing blend of dance, storytelling, and puppetry, Angelica brings the desert to life, introducing children to the insects and creatures of the region in a vivid and engaging way. Suitable for children from 3 – 10 years old.
Date: Saturday 15th March | Times: 11am, 12.30pm, 2pm | Location: Shee Alms House, St. Mary’s Lane
Cost: €3pp + BF | €10 + BF – family of 4 Book here!
THE BIG DIG
Join the Irish School of Archaeology for The BIG Dig workshop. The next step in the evolution of creative and hands-on learning for our younger generation. Suitable for children aged 6 – 12 thiis replica ‘Viking House’ and excavation site allows participants to explore the Viking world through a simulated archaeology dig. As they dig through the site, children will unearth Viking treasures and artefacts dating back 1,000 years. They will learn about the lives of our Viking ancestors as history is brought to life by qualified archaeologists.
Dates: Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th March | Times: Hourly from 11am – 5pm | Location: Canal Square
Cost: €3pp + BF Book here!
Tickets for all events can be booked online up until the event starts or the event is sold out!
MR. BOOM AND MR RUMBLE’S BONGO PARTY
Interactive Drum & Percussion event with Drum Dance Ireland. Mr. BOOM and Mr. Rumble’s Bongo Party is full of fun games and activities and a great chance for anyone to give the experience of a large size drum circle a go. Including some spectacular large size base drums and over 50 drums and percussion instruments for the audience to get involved. Absolutely no previous experience in drumming is required for this and it is aimed at people of all ages and abilities.
Date: Saturday 15th March | Times: 11.30am, 1pm, 3pm | Location: The Parade Plaza, Kilkenny City
Cost: Free
MONSIEUR GUSTO AT KILKENNY CASTLE PARK
International man of Danger, Monsieur Gusto will be bringing his awesome family show, All Tied Up, to St. Patrick’s Festival Kilkenny 2025. Not only is he an international Escapologist, a Random Object Juggler & Balancer of Strange Things, but with All Tied Up M. Gusto also manages to fit in some Newspaper Magic, some Chair Acrobatics and some very Serious Fashion.
Date: Sunday 16th March | Time: 1.30pm | Location: Kilkenny Castle Park Cost: Free
ST. PATRICK’S DAY & THE ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE
St. Patrick’s Day is the centre of the festival with free pre and post Parade events throughout the city before the main event itself the St. Patrick’s Day Parade at 1.30pm on Monday 17th. Bí Beo, Bí Linn!
Pre Parade Festivities:
Festival Funfair and Big Wheel, Festival Market, The Brass Monkeys, Street Entertainment, Samba Katz, St. Patrick’s Brass & Reed Band, Déise Medieval, OFX Irish Legends Golf Putt and Hurling Challenge.
St. Patrick’s Festival Parade 1:30pm Route: Beginning on John St., over John’s Bridge taking a right on to Bateman Quay, proceeding left up High St, continuing on to The Parade and finishing on The Castle Road.
Post Parade Festivities:
Festival Funfair and Big Wheel, Festival Market, Festival Stage Performances, Karbunklis Latvian Dancers, Rhythm Riot, Déise Medieval, Trial of Dame Alice Kyteler – Rothe House, The Hit Machine
Festival Finale – Kíla in Concert on the Festival Stage.
AMERICAN MARCHING BANDS
St. Patrick’s Festival Kilkenny is privileged to welcome American Marching Bands across St. Patrick’s Festival weekend! This year the will march through Kilkenny City on Saturday 15th at 12noon while on Sunday 16th the city will host 4 bands who will perform in Kilkenny Castle Park and at The Festival Stage throughout the day.
SATURDAY 15th MARCH
11.15am – Killeshin Marching Band Performance (Irish)
12 noon – Illinois State University Marching Band (USA)
Marching through Kilkenny City Streets, beginning at Kilkenny Castle Park.
SUNDAY 16th MARCH
On Sunday all Marching Band performances will start in Kilkenny Castle Park and conclude at the Festival Stage on The Parade, Kilkenny City.
10am – Legacy Marching Band (USA)
11am – Waukee Northwest High School Marching Band (USA)
12 noon – University of Central Florida (USA)
3pm – Horizon High School Marching Band (USA)
Find the full programme of events for the weekend here and take note of all the practical information here. We can’t wait to welcome you to Kilkenny this St. Patrick’s Festival weekend!
