No more hiding from summer rain as Cork on a Fork's shared table has a cover for the first time
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.
“There’ll be no need to keep one eye on the sky,” says Murphy. “Only in the case of severe weather will the event move indoors this year.”
There’s no doubt the shared table is the hottest ticket of the festival and this year the event will play host to 500 diners, up from 400 last year, who will be served a four-course sharing menu from local restaurants including The Glass Curtain, The Metropole, Greene’s, Paladar, The Dean, Isaacs Restaurant, The Address, Da Mirco, Thompson’s, and The Shelbourne Bar. The full festival programme will be launched next week, on May 6.
The festival, now in its fifth year, has become a staple in the Cork events calendar, but its success is spreading further afield, says Murphy.
“Fáilte Ireland is actively talking about Cork on a Fork internationally. The event is really putting Cork on the map for food globally, and Fáilte Ireland is seeing festivals like this as an opportunity to grow the area of food tourism.”
Last year, the festival had 17,000 ticketed events that generated €250,000 in sales. “We will far surpass that this year,” says Murphy. “And that amount doesn’t take into account the footfall traffic increase in the city and the future sales stemming from the festival. Anecdotally, we know that restaurants are enjoying bookings based on the festival.”
By any measure, Cork on a Fork has become an economic and cultural success. That success is very much down to the food community in Cork, who are not mere participants at the event, says Murphy.
“The way we look at it, the Cork City Council and myself are just the coordinators of the festival. It’s really the food community themselves that are driving this. They’re coming to us now and saying, ‘we want to do this’ and ‘we want to do that’. They’ve really come together and claimed ownership over it, which is great.”
Where five years ago Murphy says the organisers were looking for restaurants, chefs, or food producers to take part in the festival, today is a different story.
“In the first year, we had maybe 30 events, this year we’ll have over 150 events across the city. It’s really engaging everyone and they want to be involved, which makes our job so much easier.”
Make no mistake, there is ambition here, and the Cork City Council and the food community, are not sitting on the festival’s success.
They’re evolving and trying to open new markets and attract new demographics.
A fresh addition to the 2026 programme is The Big Table Mixer in Marina Market, which is hoping to tap into Cork’s growing appetite for alcohol-free socialising.
“The festival has always been popular with the over 35 demographic and this year we wanted to appeal to the younger cohort too. We know younger people aren’t into drinking as much, so this event — another long-table dining experience — is alcohol free with cocktails form SAOR zero alcohol bar in Marina Market.”
One hundred diners will enjoy a three-course meal from traders at the Marina Market including Nua Asador, Okra, The Greek, Eco Fish, MKT Burger, Kura, Just Wing It, and Sweet Spot. As well as those who enjoy alcohol-free socialising, the event is also tapping into the “solo traveller trend”, says Murphy.
The seating too is relaxed. Diners can change their seats at each course “if they meet someone they’d like to chat more with”.
“We’re looking to attract people who might be travelling or new to the city who are looking to make new friends.”
A third showcase event Chef Collaboration at Goldie Chapel is being styled as a “more intimate, high-end” affair.
“Rob Krawcyk from Michelin-starred Chestnut, Aishling Moore from Goldie — who is one to watch, she’s winning awards left, right and centre — and Good Day Deli, who are obviously renowned locally, are coming together, and we’re doing the second ever dinner in Goldie Chapel.”
The event, for 50 diners, is a rare chance for diners to taste food from three of Cork’s most celebrated chefs.
Beyond the headline acts, Cork on a Fork is centred around accessibility and inclusivity, says Murphy. “Last year one third of the events were free, and that’s the way we’ll continue. Education on healthy food and sustainability, and cooking demos are all a huge part of it too.
“That’s the other side of it really, aside from the glitz and the glam of the showcase events.
“Inclusivity is also at the heart of the festival. We know that sitting around the table with people of different cultures eating foods from those cultures is really inclusive.
“So this year we have events with the Cork Migrant Centre and we have a Georgian delegation coming to do an event. For us, it’s all about celebrating that multiculturalism.”
This year, as the festival continues to grow, the festival zone will be moved from its traditional home of Emmet Place to allow for “more cooking demos, talks, markets and free workshops for kids”.
“In Cork, we have so much here from a food perspective; there’s a long and strong food story here, and Cork on a Fork is another part of that story.
“But we have wider ambitions too, and the council and all key stakeholders are working towards applying to be the World Region of Gastronomy down the line.”
With events like this showcasing what’s so special about the Cork food scene, we don’t doubt for a minute that the World Region of Gastronomy is well within Cork’s sights.
- Cork on a Fork — August 12 -16 — is run by Cork City Council in partnership with local hospitality businesses and producers, supported by Fáilte Ireland, the Department of Enterprise, Tourism, and Employment; Visit Cork; Cork Airport, the Irish Hotels Federation; MTU; and Cork Business Association, and sponsored by Musgrave.
- corkcity.ie/en/cork-on-a-fork-fest/what-s-on/
‘There’ll be no need to keep one eye on the sky’
