What Street Feast reveals about our hunger for community

Street Feast reminds us that we are not alone, and taps into something ancient in Irish life: the tradition of meitheal, of neighbours coming together to help each other out

Crosshaven Street Feast in 2019. Picture: Joleen Cronin

This weekend, something powerful will take place across Ireland. On streets, cul-de-sacs and community centres, thousands of neighbours will come together to share food, stories and laughter as part of Street Feast.

With over 900 feasts expected nationwide, more people will take part in Street Feast this year than will attend Electric Picnic. From Donegal to Dingle, from city centres to country lanes, people of all ages, backgrounds and experiences are hanging up bunting, putting out picnic blankets, and lighting the barbecue.

Street Feast is Ireland’s biggest community celebration. Now in its 15th year, it’s more than just a joyful day out. It’s a growing grassroots movement, and a vibrant expression of something Ireland is hungry for: community.

We often describe Street Feast as an excuse to knock on your neighbour's door. It gives you an opportunity to start a conversation about something that seems small (hosting a neighbourhood gathering), but which runs a lot deeper than just tea and cake. 

In a world that can feel increasingly divided, lonely, and disconnected, Street Feast reminds us that we are not alone. It taps into something ancient in Irish life: the tradition of meitheal, of neighbours coming together to help each other out.

Loneliness

We need that now more than ever. It might surprise you to know that Ireland is one of the loneliest countries in Europe. Despite our reputation for being warm and welcoming, ordinary people across Ireland are experiencing epidemic levels of loneliness. 

Loneliness doesn’t just affect our mental health; it has profound impacts on physical health, wellbeing, and even life expectancy. And yet, the antidote is often right on our doorstep.

The simple act of saying hello to a neighbour, of sitting down at a shared table or stopping for a chat can change a person’s day. We’ve seen it time and again through Street Feast. 

We’ve seen neighbours who’ve lived side-by-side for years and never spoken become friends. We’ve seen new communities form, connections rekindle, and barriers dissolve.

Connection

Last year, a Street Feast was held in Shelton Abbey, an open low-security prison for men. That day, families came inside the gates to share food with their loved ones, side by side with staff and fellow residents. 

Participants spoke of the joy of being part of a national day of connection, of feeling seen and included despite their incarceration. It was a powerful reminder of the transformative power of a shared meal.

This year in Crosshaven, Co. Cork, Joleen Cronin is organising a Street Feast Together event that brings migrants who’ve recently arrived in the area together with long-time locals. Over a shared table, strangers will become neighbours, and bridges will be built not through grand gestures, but through the small miracle of good food, craic and camaraderie.

There are Street Feast hosts who have been organising these events for over a decade. In every county in Ireland, they are the heartbeat of Street Feast. They make our work possible. They string up bunting, bake scones, and invite the neighbours. They don’t do it for attention or for thanks, but because they believe in community.

Social change doesn’t always happen in parliaments. Often, it’s borne from communities themselves. With Street Feast, it often starts over tea and cake. When neighbours connect and get to know each other, community initiatives are born, friendships deepen and shared bonds of trust and collaboration grow.

Suzanne Quinn (front left), Customer Director at Tesco Ireland; and Sam Bishop (front right), Street Feast co-founder, at the Street Feast 2025 launch party in Flanagan’s Fields Community Garden in Rialto, Dublin 8. Picture: Naoise Culhane

President Michael D. Higgins, the patron of Street Feast, captured it beautifully when he said: “We must all by now realise the importance of community, inclusion, creativity and togetherness – all values that require support and a conscious effort of care, protection and solidarity. Initiatives such as Street Feast provide exactly that type of opportunity.” 

Fifteen years ago, Street Feast began as a small experiment; could one day of celebration help people feel more connected? Could it break down walls, reduce loneliness, and rekindle local pride? After thousands of feasts, millions of conversations, and untold moments of kindness, we know the answer is yes.

Street Feast shows us that people are not apathetic. Many of us are disconnected from each other, but we don’t want to be. People are just waiting for an invitation to come through the door. Over the last 15 years, we’ve found that when people are given the opportunity, they show up for each other again and again.

This weekend, as neighbours pull out garden chairs and open their front doors, they’re doing more than celebrating a sunny afternoon (we hope!). They are quietly, powerfully, building the kind of Ireland we all want to live in. It’s an Ireland where everyone belongs, where people are happier and healthier because the communities they live in are thriving.

Sam Bishop: 'Many of us are disconnected from each other, but we don’t want to be. People are just waiting for an invitation to come through the door.'

So whether you’re hosting a feast, attending one, or thinking about getting involved next year, I want to thank you. Your participation matters. Street Feast is a joyful, people-powered movement of connection, care, and community. And it’s only possible because of you.

Enjoy the weekend’s festivities. Let there be laughter, long conversations, and second helpings. And if you want to be part of the next Street Feast, visit streetfeast.ie. We’d love to have you at the table.

• Sam Bishop is the co-founder of Street Feast and CEO of Neighbourhood Network, an all-island charity which seeks to promote social inclusion, tackle loneliness and build supportive and resilient neighbourhoods.