‘World-renowned festival destination by 2030’ - New plan aiming to boost Kilkenny’s global profile

The strategy will aim to diversify and expand Kilkenny’s already strong festival offering

Published 30th Mar 2026, 17:30 BST Kilkenny Castle during Kilkenny Arts Festival. Photo: Dylan Vaughan The strategy will aim to diversify and expand Kilkenny’s already strong festival offering Sign up to our Kilkenny Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Kilkenny Live within your account.

A new five-year strategy to enhance Kilkenny ’s status as an internationally renowned festival and events destination is being developed by blending the city and county’s medieval heritage and contemporary advantages.

The Kilkenny Festival and Events Strategy 2026-2030, was presented at a SPC (Strategic Policy Committee) meeting at County Hall on Thursday with the plan aiming to implement actions identified in Kilkenny County Council’s Tourism Implementation Strategy and Failte Ireland’s Destination Experience Development Plan.

KCC in partnership with Failte Ireland co-founded the Festivals Working Group to deliver the multi-year strategy which focuses on several aspects.

These include leveraging Kilkenny’s world class strengths of craft and creativity, growing the capacity and capabilities of festivals and events to harness existing and emerging destination development opportunities and promoting a compelling Kilkenny Festivals brand and year-round marketing campaign as a world leading sustainable festivals destination.

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A weakness identified in the current calendar was the lack of a high-impact heritage festival with a possible medieval themed celebration suggested for examination.

The vision of the strategy outlines the aims further stating: “Kilkenny is a world-renowned festival destination by 2030, with an anchor programme of high and medium tourism impact festivals across the city and county, showcasing heritage, culture and design and supported by a year-round programme of concerts and events.”

The strategy received strong praise from Committee members and will now progress to a design phase before being publicised in full and eventually moving to implementation.

Chairperson, Cllr Michael Doyle (FG) lauded the “superhuman people” supporting festivals and events in the Council along with the “unbelievable amount of work” being done and suggested that a “huge trick was being missed” by not having an outdoor concert in the Castle Yard.

Mayor John Coonan (FF) floated the idea of using the Long Gallery of the Castle for concerts before highlighting the “range and variety of Kilkenny” in assisting in the delivery of events and that he was “flabbergasted at the amount of unique festivals.”

Related topics: Kilkenny Kilkenny County Council Failte Ireland Sign up to our Kilkenny Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Kilkenny Live within your account.