30,000 visitors descend on city as Kilkenny goes green

Festival Kilkenny is well and truly underway.

Yesterday marked the beginning of six days of festival events featuring American marching bands, fireworks and fireshows, concerts, street entertainment and, of course, this year’s St Patrick’s Day Parade.

A spokesperson for Kilkenny County County said the city expects to welcome 30,000 visitors over the coming days.

The spectacular Ferris Wheel has been erected on the Parade plaza, which will serve as the central hub of the festival – offering birds eye views of the Medieval City including Kilkenny Castle, The Medieval Mile Museum and the River Nore and beyond.

The council spokesperson said: “The 2022 St. Patrick’s Festival Kilkenny is the biggest yet and boasts lots of free events for children including workshops, stilt walkers and street entertainment shows. For families there is the Festival Street food market and picnic area, carnival rides, live music on the Festival Bandstand and interactive drumming shows. For the adults looking to celebrate, there are workshops, over 80 Kilkenny Tradfest concerts and gigs.”

Tomorrow’s main event – the St Patrick’s Day Parade – after a two-year absence caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Communities and groups from around the county, as well as musicians, creatives and ‘wolves’ will be taking to the streets led by Grand Marshal, Irish Paralympian Mary Fitzgerald. This year’s theme ‘Run with the Wolves’ is inspired by Kilkenny based Cartoon Saloon’s Oscar nominated animated movie ‘WolfWalkers’ which is set in Kilkenny in 1650 and inspired by the city’s buildings and the county’s woods.

Local landmarks will be lit up in green, showing many of our beautiful medieval buildings and venues in a new light for locals and visitors to enjoy as they amble through the streets at evening time.

*To see the full festival programme, visit: http://www.stpatricksfestivalkilkenny.com