No more hiding from summer rain as Cork on a Fork's shared table has a cover for the first time

Last year, rain forced The VQ Shared Table to move indoors. But in 2026, the big ticket event at Cork on a Fork will be weather-proofed with overhead cover. Ahead of the programme launch, Deirdre McArdle has the lowdown on the festival that has put Cork on the global food map

A Long Table set for 400 diners stretched along MacCurtain Street in Cork’s Victorian Quarter for Cork on a Fork food festival in 2024. Picture: Chani Anderson

“This year we’ve got it covered, literally,” laughs Niamh Murphy, festival manager of Cork on a Fork, referring to the festival’s headline event, The VQ Shared Table, which last year had to be moved indoors to the nearby Metropole Hotel at the last minute because of downpours.

Covering the long table, which stretches almost the entire length of MacCurtain Street, will be a stretch marquee that will “weatherproof” this year’s event, says Murphy.