Cork St Patrick’s Festival: Parades, concerts and family events — full guide and highlights

Cork’s St Patrick’s Festival features parades, concerts, céilís, fireworks, and cultural events across a vibrant four-day celebration

Members of the Kabin Studio have been announced as the Grand Marshal of the Cork St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which will take place at 1pm on Monday, March 17. Picture: Clare Keogh

The St Patrick’s Festival weekend kicks off in Cork tonight with a night market and late-night cafe openings, with céilís, concerts, and cultural events continuing the build-up to the parade on Monday.

The city’s St Patrick’s Day parade will take place at 1pm on Monday from South Mall to Merchants Quay, with over 2,500 participants and performance showpieces from professional art groups Cork Community Artlink and Spraoi, as well as various marching bands and sporting and cultural groups.

The kids from the youth rap collective, The Kabin Studio, will take centre stage as parade grand marshals on Monday in recognition of their incredible impact over the past decade, particularly following the recent viral success of their hit, The Spark, last summer.

The vibrant creative community hub, based in Knocknaheeny, was founded in 2012 by music producer Garry McCarthy (GMCBeats) and is supported by Music Generation Cork City, Cork City Council, and the Tomar Trust.

The group’s track, The Spark, was longlisted for a Grammy and nominated for the RTÉ Choice Music Prize Song of the Year.

The Kabin Crew have also been invited to perform at music festivals such as Electric Picnic, All Together Now, and Pukkelpop in Belgium.

"We’re absolutely delighted to showcase not just the talented young people and kids at The Kabin Studio, but also to bring along their families, our dedicated team, and the wider community that’s been part of this journey with us,” the Kabin Studio’s creative director, Garry McCarthy, said.

“For the past 13 years, we’ve been building something special in Knocknaheeny, and to now have the opportunity to bring that spark into the heart of the city at such a big, positive event is a huge moment for us.

“It’s a chance for everyone to see the amazing characters, performers, and vibrant community that make The Kabin what it is.”

The theme of this year’s parade is ' Building a Better World – Celebrating the UN International Year of Co-operatives'.

The Lord Mayor, Cllr Dan Boyle, said the parade is the focal point of a great weekend festival across the city.

“Cork has put on a fantastic programme of events of music, dance and cultural activities. I know you will enjoy supporting our local venues on this wonderful weekend," he said.

The four-day festival will showcase a specially programmed range of events organised by the Cork St Patrick’s Festival in collaboration with venues and organisations in the city, supported by Fáilte Ireland, including:

• The Night Market on Cornmarket Street on Friday from 5pm to 10pm; 
• Cork Coffee Lates in participating outlets from 6pm on Friday; 
• Ceol Chorcaí, City Hall, from 7.30pm to 9.30pm on Friday; 
• The Lee Sessions Trad Trail in city centre pubs across the weekend; 
• The Tailteann Games: traditional games with a twist at Elizabeth Fort from 11am to 1pm on Saturday; 
• Raving to Reels, a trad music disco at Elizabeth Fort from 2pm to 3.30pm on Saturday; 
• The Afternoon Céilí Mór in City Hall from 3pm to 6pm on Sunday;
• Eoghan O’Ceannabháin at St Peter’s Church on Sunday, March 16, at 7.30pm. 

There will also be a range of other guided tours, dance, comedy, exhibitions, and family-friendly events.

While many festival events are free, some require pre-booking. The full programme and booking links are available at www.corkstpatricksfestival.ie and facebook.com/corkstpatricksfestival.

Cork’s RED FM and The Echo are the media sponsors of the festival.

Meanwhile, several large county towns are staging their own parades on Monday, with a Wicked-themed parade in Ballincollig and a market, parade, and street performances in Cobh, culminating in a fireworks display at 7.30pm.

Kinsale is really pushing the boat out with two events—a maritime parade in the harbour at 7pm on Sunday, followed by fireworks, and a land-based parade on Monday at 3pm.