If you think that food festivals are just for chefs or vendors, think again. Yes, food festivals are about an appreciation of good cuisine, but they’re also about bolstering community, experiencing new cultures, and learning and sharing together.
No professional training or qualification in cookery is required to enjoy everything that food festivals have to offer across the country this summer. All you need is a curious mind and a hungry appetite to match.
1 Waterford Festival of Food, Co Waterford
Holding the title of Ireland’s largest and longest-running community food festival, the Waterford Festival of Food normally spans three days but this year, the festival kicks off on Thursday, 24 April and runs until Sunday, 27 April.
Festival director, Eunice Power describes the Thursday evening as a “warm-up”, kicking off with a ‘Walk, talk and taste’ tour of Dungarvan (€70), a guided tour around the town and quay with a visit to two restaurants and The Local pub.
The festival is well-known for its Taste Waterford Tapas trails (€70) which highlight local Waterford flavours, as well as its mission to put Waterford on the map. The variety of events, from farm visits to picnic river cruises, captures the dynamism and vibrancy of Dungarvan’s food scene. This year, the organisers have collaborated with Autism Friendly Dungarvan and17 events have made accommodations for people with autism.
waterfordfestivaloffood.com2 Ballymaloe Festival of Food, Co Cork
Ballymaloe House is famous for its food and hospitality, with a history of welcoming people to east Cork to sample local produce made with care. The Festival of Food, now in its second year, builds on this traditional welcome.
“At Ballymaloe House, we can welcome 110 people for dinner on a Saturday night, at the festival we can welcome 5,000 people on a Saturday night”, says Bree Allen, event organiser. The festival takes place from 16 to 18 May and there are weekend tickets (€65) and day tickets (€25) available. The tickets give access to two cookery demonstration stages with a line-up of local and international chefs, including Daniel Rankin, Jay Rayner, and Amber Guinness.
There are also interviews and panel discussions as well as a drinks theatre for cocktail demonstrations and wine tasting. Every aspect of food is covered, with a range of ‘walk and talk’ experiences in the walled garden and bespoke workshops covering topics like fermentation, chocolate making and charcuterie.
The pop-up dining experiences are a highlight of the weekend, although they are not included in the standard ticket price. This year, Fadi Kattan, a Franco-Palestinian chef who founded Akub, the first modern Palestinian restaurant in London, will showcase the flavours of Palestine on Friday, 16 May. Dinner tickets cost €130 per person, including a 5-course dinner and Palestinian wine.
ballymaloegrainstore.com/ballymaloe-festival-of-food 3 Burren Slow Food Festival, Co Clare
The term, ‘slow food’, emerged in 1986 when founder, Carlo Petrini, saw the first McDonalds come to Italy. Completely horrified, he created the slow food movement as a response, advocating for slower, sustainable and mindful food production and consumption.
For the past 20 years, the Burren Slow Food Festival in Co Clare has been championing this same ethos. The festival in Lisdoonvarna is co-organised by Burren Smokehouse and the Burren Ecotourism Network and it takes place on Sunday, 11 May.
The one-day event will be accompanied by the Burren Slow Food Banquet the night before, on Saturday, 10 May. While admission to the festival is free, a ticket for the banquet is €75.
Despite being only one day long, the festival packs a lot in, with cookery demonstrations, talks and a farmers’ market, and this year’s theme is ‘Taste the Atlantic’ so expect plenty of mussel and seafood producers.
Yoga debuted at the festival last year with great success, leading to an expanded programme this year for a range of ages and mobilities. Now, the line-up includes classes such as acupuncture, mother and baby yoga, chair yoga, sound baths and functional movement. A €10 ticket gives access to unlimited yoga workshops throughout the day.
slowfoodclare.com
Siobhán Ní Ghairbhith from St Tola Goat Cheese at Slow Food Festival, Co Clare. \ Eamon Ward
4 Cork on a Fork festival,
Cork
Cork is unique when it comes to food; originally a port town, the region helped drive the artisan food movement and is home to many producers.
Run by Cork City Council, the event is about showcasing the produce and hospitality in Cork and it takes place later in the summer, from 13 to 17 August. Over these five days, the city comes alive with food events.
The festival is a great option for people who want to save some money, with plenty of free events at the marquee on Emmet Place, including cooking demonstrations and talks, pop-up events and unique dining experiences.
One of the headline events is a long table dinner for 450 people on MacCurtain Street, a collaboration between 22 chefs and 40 waiting staff who put on a showcase of Cork produce for everyone to share. There are lots of family fun events, with cooking workshops and food trails specifically aimed at children, and bus tours to different producers and local farms. Tickets go on sale on 7 May.
corkcity.ie/en/cork-on-a-fork-fest/5 Taste of Dublin, Dublin 2
This year is a special one for Taste of Dublin, as it marks its 20th anniversary.
The festival takes place from 12 to 15 June and this is their second year in the gorgeous Georgian surroundings of Merrion Square.
Taste of Dublin has continuously evolved to reflect the ever-changing food scene (and tastebuds) of Ireland. The restaurant line-up is the hallmark of the traditional Taste of Dublin’s offering, and 16 restaurants are on site to offer a range of signature dishes and an iconic dish (often, an off-menu item only available at Taste of Dublin).
New restaurants to pop up this year include Big Fan Bao, a Michelin guide recommended restaurant serving handmade dumplings in Aungier Street, and Shaku Maku, a Palestinian family-run business in Rathmines. Also new to this year’s line-up is Glendalough Gin and their resident foragers who have already starting foraging their botanicals for the festival.
Adult tickets start from €20.50, with admission for children over 10 costing €12. Children under 10 go free.
tasteofdublin.ie6 Comber Earlies Food Festival,
Comber, Co Down
Don’t we all love the humble potato in all its countless forms? Baked, roasted, boiled, served as a side of mash or taking centre stage as potato gratin, it’s only right and proper to take a moment for the most versatile food of all – good old spuds.
On Saturday, 28 June, the Comber Earlies potato get the spotlight at its namesake festival, the Comber Earlies Food Festival in Co Down. Since 2012, Comber Earlies have enjoyed Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) under European law, meaning only potatoes planted, grown and harvested within the Comber region can be marketed as Comber Earlies. The local festival celebrates the first long-awaited crop of the Earlies, taking place in the Comber Leisure Centre carpark and the event is completely free, making it a great pick for families planning a summer day out.
While the adults can peruse artisan food and drink stalls and attend cookery demonstrations, the kids will be kept entertained by the vintage tractor display and live music. And don’t worry, while potatoes are the star of the show, you’ll be able to try a much wider variety of local produce from the food stalls, chefs and vendors in attendance.
visitardsandnorthdown.com
If you think that food festivals are just for chefs or vendors, think again. Yes, food festivals are about an appreciation of good cuisine, but they’re also about bolstering community, experiencing new cultures, and learning and sharing together.
No professional training or qualification in cookery is required to enjoy everything that food festivals have to offer across the country this summer. All you need is a curious mind and a hungry appetite to match.
1 Waterford Festival of Food, Co Waterford
Holding the title of Ireland’s largest and longest-running community food festival, the Waterford Festival of Food normally spans three days but this year, the festival kicks off on Thursday, 24 April and runs until Sunday, 27 April.
Festival director, Eunice Power describes the Thursday evening as a “warm-up”, kicking off with a ‘Walk, talk and taste’ tour of Dungarvan (€70), a guided tour around the town and quay with a visit to two restaurants and The Local pub.
The festival is well-known for its Taste Waterford Tapas trails (€70) which highlight local Waterford flavours, as well as its mission to put Waterford on the map. The variety of events, from farm visits to picnic river cruises, captures the dynamism and vibrancy of Dungarvan’s food scene. This year, the organisers have collaborated with Autism Friendly Dungarvan and17 events have made accommodations for people with autism.
waterfordfestivaloffood.com2 Ballymaloe Festival of Food, Co Cork
Ballymaloe House is famous for its food and hospitality, with a history of welcoming people to east Cork to sample local produce made with care. The Festival of Food, now in its second year, builds on this traditional welcome.
“At Ballymaloe House, we can welcome 110 people for dinner on a Saturday night, at the festival we can welcome 5,000 people on a Saturday night”, says Bree Allen, event organiser. The festival takes place from 16 to 18 May and there are weekend tickets (€65) and day tickets (€25) available. The tickets give access to two cookery demonstration stages with a line-up of local and international chefs, including Daniel Rankin, Jay Rayner, and Amber Guinness.
There are also interviews and panel discussions as well as a drinks theatre for cocktail demonstrations and wine tasting. Every aspect of food is covered, with a range of ‘walk and talk’ experiences in the walled garden and bespoke workshops covering topics like fermentation, chocolate making and charcuterie.
The pop-up dining experiences are a highlight of the weekend, although they are not included in the standard ticket price. This year, Fadi Kattan, a Franco-Palestinian chef who founded Akub, the first modern Palestinian restaurant in London, will showcase the flavours of Palestine on Friday, 16 May. Dinner tickets cost €130 per person, including a 5-course dinner and Palestinian wine.
ballymaloegrainstore.com/ballymaloe-festival-of-food 3 Burren Slow Food Festival, Co Clare
The term, ‘slow food’, emerged in 1986 when founder, Carlo Petrini, saw the first McDonalds come to Italy. Completely horrified, he created the slow food movement as a response, advocating for slower, sustainable and mindful food production and consumption.
For the past 20 years, the Burren Slow Food Festival in Co Clare has been championing this same ethos. The festival in Lisdoonvarna is co-organised by Burren Smokehouse and the Burren Ecotourism Network and it takes place on Sunday, 11 May.
The one-day event will be accompanied by the Burren Slow Food Banquet the night before, on Saturday, 10 May. While admission to the festival is free, a ticket for the banquet is €75.
Despite being only one day long, the festival packs a lot in, with cookery demonstrations, talks and a farmers’ market, and this year’s theme is ‘Taste the Atlantic’ so expect plenty of mussel and seafood producers.
Yoga debuted at the festival last year with great success, leading to an expanded programme this year for a range of ages and mobilities. Now, the line-up includes classes such as acupuncture, mother and baby yoga, chair yoga, sound baths and functional movement. A €10 ticket gives access to unlimited yoga workshops throughout the day.
slowfoodclare.com
Siobhán Ní Ghairbhith from St Tola Goat Cheese at Slow Food Festival, Co Clare. \ Eamon Ward
4 Cork on a Fork festival,
Cork
Cork is unique when it comes to food; originally a port town, the region helped drive the artisan food movement and is home to many producers.
Run by Cork City Council, the event is about showcasing the produce and hospitality in Cork and it takes place later in the summer, from 13 to 17 August. Over these five days, the city comes alive with food events.
The festival is a great option for people who want to save some money, with plenty of free events at the marquee on Emmet Place, including cooking demonstrations and talks, pop-up events and unique dining experiences.
One of the headline events is a long table dinner for 450 people on MacCurtain Street, a collaboration between 22 chefs and 40 waiting staff who put on a showcase of Cork produce for everyone to share. There are lots of family fun events, with cooking workshops and food trails specifically aimed at children, and bus tours to different producers and local farms. Tickets go on sale on 7 May.
corkcity.ie/en/cork-on-a-fork-fest/5 Taste of Dublin, Dublin 2
This year is a special one for Taste of Dublin, as it marks its 20th anniversary.
The festival takes place from 12 to 15 June and this is their second year in the gorgeous Georgian surroundings of Merrion Square.
Taste of Dublin has continuously evolved to reflect the ever-changing food scene (and tastebuds) of Ireland. The restaurant line-up is the hallmark of the traditional Taste of Dublin’s offering, and 16 restaurants are on site to offer a range of signature dishes and an iconic dish (often, an off-menu item only available at Taste of Dublin).
New restaurants to pop up this year include Big Fan Bao, a Michelin guide recommended restaurant serving handmade dumplings in Aungier Street, and Shaku Maku, a Palestinian family-run business in Rathmines. Also new to this year’s line-up is Glendalough Gin and their resident foragers who have already starting foraging their botanicals for the festival.
Adult tickets start from €20.50, with admission for children over 10 costing €12. Children under 10 go free.
tasteofdublin.ie6 Comber Earlies Food Festival,
Comber, Co Down
Don’t we all love the humble potato in all its countless forms? Baked, roasted, boiled, served as a side of mash or taking centre stage as potato gratin, it’s only right and proper to take a moment for the most versatile food of all – good old spuds.
On Saturday, 28 June, the Comber Earlies potato get the spotlight at its namesake festival, the Comber Earlies Food Festival in Co Down. Since 2012, Comber Earlies have enjoyed Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) under European law, meaning only potatoes planted, grown and harvested within the Comber region can be marketed as Comber Earlies. The local festival celebrates the first long-awaited crop of the Earlies, taking place in the Comber Leisure Centre carpark and the event is completely free, making it a great pick for families planning a summer day out.
While the adults can peruse artisan food and drink stalls and attend cookery demonstrations, the kids will be kept entertained by the vintage tractor display and live music. And don’t worry, while potatoes are the star of the show, you’ll be able to try a much wider variety of local produce from the food stalls, chefs and vendors in attendance.
visitardsandnorthdown.com
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