St. Patrick’s Festival Kilkenny Festival Market Terms & Conditions 2026

Please read the terms and conditions in full and ensure you can comply before submitting an application or accepting your place. Failure to comply with the terms and conditions outlined can result in a €150 fine and exclusion from future Kilkenny County Council Events.

• Compliance: Traders must follow all instructions from Kilkenny County Council, St. Patrick’s Festival Kilkenny management, security and the Health & Safety Officer to ensure the best experience for themselves and the public. Any breach of St. Patrick’s Festival Kilkenny terms and conditions or breach in regulations may result in removal from site and disqualification from future events. 

• Market Trading: Stallholders must attend the market and trade for full market hours on all market days and have sufficient stock to sell each day. Any trader not adhering to this rule will be subject to a €150 administration fee and it will impact on their attendance at future events. 

• Stallholder positions are non-negotiable and are allocated based on a variety of factors. St. Patrick’s Festival Kilkenny cannot guarantee that previous participants will be automatically allocated a space, and it will not be guaranteed that if you are accepted, you will be in the same position as previous years

• Stall Decoration Stallholders must decorate their stall in line with the festival theme, this helps create atmosphere and is important for making your stall look attractive to customers and in photos. Please note that the market will be open till 8pm each evening so Stallholders are encouraged to bring battery powered fairy lights for their stall. 

• Insurance Stallholders must be fully insured for their business and stall (€6.5m Public Liability, €13m Employers Liability, Product Liability) and must indemnify Kilkenny County Council.  A copy of your insurance certificate should be submitted with the completed application form. 

• HSE Registration Any stall selling food must be licenced by the HSE to operate as a food stall.  A copy of HSE registration should be submitted with the completed application form. 

• Market Dates & Times: Saturday 14^th , Sunday 15^th, Monday 16^th  March 11am – 8pm and Tuesday 17^th March 11am – 7pm.  All market stallholders must trade for the entire duration of the festival and the opening hours.

• Market Set-Up Stallholders can set up each morning from 8am.  Vehicles cannot be parked alongside your stall. You will be advised of the daily load in and load out procedure closer to the festival. For load-in and load-out traders must follow the instructions of the market manager. For safety reasons, vehicles are not permitted onto the market site as the area is restricted and must park their vehicle and bring their produce to site by hand. 

• Loading Bays No parking is permitted by traders in loading bays on Castle Rd, The Parade, Patrick St, Rose Inn Street during the festival. These are strictly for unloading and drop-off only.

• Security As the market is an open event with free public access at all times stallholders are not advised to leave any valuables in their stall at any time.  All stallholders are responsible for their own belongings.  St. Patrick’s Festival Kilkenny or Kilkenny County Council cannot accept any responsibility for any loss/damage or theft.   

• Electricity & Power Supply 
  • All stallholders’ electrical equipment should be tested regularly by a competent person. Portable appliance testing (PAT) should be carried out annually and six monthly for handheld devices in accordance with the IEE Code of Practice for Inservice Inspection and testing of Electrical equipment. Copies of PAT certificate are to be available for inspection. Equipment that is not certified will not be permitted to be used in the Event. 
  • Only outdoor connectors permitted, no domestic plugs.  
  • No personal generators allowed. 
  • Traders must bring outdoor-rated extension leads and indicate their power needs in advance. 
  • Kettles and electrical heat conducting items are prohibited from craft/cold food huts. 
  • St. Patrick’s Festival Kilkenny does not supply additional cables, connections, or lighting. 
  • The event accepts no liability for power loss or interruptions

• Fire Safety & Emergency:  
  • Stallholders must carry the firefighting equipment outlined below at their stall and comply with all fire regulations. All Fire Extinguishers must be fully serviced and display a dated service tag. Fire Blankets must be correctly mounted so as to be easily accessible in the case of an incident. All personnel must be trained to use firefighting equipment and familiar with emergency procedures. 
  • Fire fighting equipment required– all stallholders must bring their own; 
  • Non Cooking Stalls (Cold Food and Craft) 
    • 1 x 4kg dry powder extinguisher and 
    • 1 x 2kg CO2 fire extinguisher 
  • Hot Food Stalls 
    • 1 x 4kg dry powder extinguisher 
    • 1 x m2 light duty fire blanket. 
  • Deep Fat Frying Stalls 
    • 6 litre wet chemical extinguisher 
    • 2 x 4kg ABC dry powder fire extinguisher 
    • 1 x 2kg CO2 fire extinguisher 
    • 1.8m2 Heavy duty fire blanket. 
  • Have a fully stocked first-aid kit available at all times. 
  • Ensure all materials used in decoration of your unit/set up are flame retardant. 
  • Be aware that lit candles, generators, portable gas, electric and fuel heaters are all prohibited. 
  • Comply with all emergency health and safety requests from site safety officers and a fire officer. 
  • Smoking and Vaping in the market area is strictly prohibited by traders and the public. If you wish to smoke or vape please do so in the designated area as outlined in the safety briefing. 
  • All stallholders must familiarise themselves with the location of the First-Aid points and the Emergency Access/Egress routes. 
  • All escape routes are to be kept unobstructed. 
  • Stallholders must follow any instructions given by the Fire Services, the Site Fire Warden (or his/her deputy) and the Event Safety Advisor (or his/her deputy). 
  • Sufficient lighting may be required with the unit if trading takes place after sunset. 
  • All cooking appliances must be fixed securely on a firm non-combustible heat insulating base and surrounded by shields of similar material on all three sides 
  • Stallholders will not be permitted to trade without the correct fire-fighting & safety equipment. St. Patrick’s Festival Kilkenny takes no responsibility or will compensate the trader due to non-compliance of national regulations. 

• Health & Safety all stallholders are expected to comply with all national regulations with regards health and Safety – Kilkenny County Council will be monitoring same.  
  • All stallholders and staff will be required to complete a pre-event Health & Safety briefing before setting foot on site. 
  • Stallholders must abide by any directions given by the onsite health and safety officer and senior festival staff. This will be issued to stallholders closer to the event.  
  • Inspect your structures, cables and fixtures before setup and note to Festival Market Management immediately if you spot a defect. 
  • All Electrical cables must be covered or elevated to prevent tripping. 
  • Only St. Patrick’s Festival Management who are authorised and trained may operate on site generators.  

• Loading Bays No parking is permitted by traders in loading bays on Castle Rd, The Parade, Patrick St, Rose Inn Street during the festival. These are strictly for unloading and drop-off only.

• First Aid: All stallholders must bring a first aid kit to meet risk applicable to their stall. It must also comply with HSE requirements for food handling and vending on site, where applicable.

• Furniture St. Patrick’s Festival Kilkenny does not supply any furniture/tables/chairs etc. Please make sure that you bring a table/chairs if you need them. 

• Sanitary Accommodation: Toilets are located behind the kiosk on the parade. 

• Refuse & Cleanliness all stallholders are required to be responsible for litter, refuse and cleanliness around their stall and are asked to keep the surrounding area clean, tidy and litter free at all times. Please adhere to the three bin system (if applicable). Any stallholder leaving refuse behind will be fined.  

• Water Supply: There is a potable water point supplied by Kilkenny County Council at the Kiosk on site. 

• Handwashing: All food stallholders must provide the HSE recommended hand wash facilities at their stall. 

• Communication & Incident Reporting:  A Health & Safety Officer will be on-site throughout the festival. Any incident, injury, or near-miss must be reported to the Festival Market Manager or H&S Officer immediately in person or by contacting their direct line.  

• Green Charter All stallholders must commit to the green charter by:
  • Minimising waste, and reducing water and energy consumption, where possible. 
  • Segregating food waste and placing it in the brown compost bins provided. 
  • Bringing unused cardboard, plastic and packaging for recycling home. 
  • Using compostable biodegradable consumables such as plates, containers, cups and ware, where possible. 
  • Eliminating single portions of condiments, such as ketchup, sugar, salt, butter, jam, etc. 
  • Eliminating single use plastics, such as plastic straws and plastic cups. 
  • Eliminating polystyrene completely, eg. burger boxes etc.   
  • Informing customers that their containers etc are compostable/recyclable and highlighting what bin they can be disposed of in (this can be done through signage or verbally).  
  • Allowing customers to use their own reusable cups and containers, where possible.    
  • Sourcing and using seasonal produce where possible. 
  • Using non-hazardous and eco-friendly cleaning products. 
  • Communicating good environmental practices. 
  • Buying local products and services and in season produce. 
  • Supporting fair trade or other similar schemes. 
  • Cleaning up stall and area around it, leaving no trace after the festival.  

• Additional Requirements for Food Traders
  • Food traders must comply with all Environmental Health Office (EHO) and HSE regulations. 
  • Have the specifically relevant firefighting equipment on their stall. 
  • Fire Safety officials will close down stalls that do not comply, without exception. 
  • Have a list of ingredients in English and a best before date clearly marked on all pre-packed food. 
  • Clearly list all allergens and display in a prominent position. 
  • Have hand wash facilities with hot & cold water where applicable. 
  • Have the required number of wash-ups sinks with hot and cold water. 
  • Be aware of the current Irish food waste legislation. All food waste MUST be disposed of separately to general waste, commercial and food waste is strictly prohibited from public bins. This is a council directive, and they will be imposing fines on individuals who don’t comply. 
  • Use Fair Trade products where applicable. 
  • Ensure all meats are traceable and Irish where applicable. 
  • Make themselves aware of the Food Hygiene Legislation such as statutory temperature controls in selling, displaying and transporting foods, best before dates, correct labelling in English 
  • Ensuring level of quality & freshness of goods for sale is paramount. 

Please note if a Health and Safety (EHO/HSE) Officer inspects your unit and orders you to close, St. Patrick’s Festival Kilkenny takes no responsibility or will compensate the trader due to non-compliance of national regulations. 

If you have any questions contact admin@stpatricksfestivalkilkenny.com.