Kick off the summer season with music, style, food and fun at one of these fantastic events taking place near you
30 April – 4 May: Cork International Choral Festival
Renowned as one of Europe’s most prestigious choral events, the Cork International Choral Festival is celebrating its 70th edition this year and is offering a vibrant mix of gala concerts, competitions, workshops, fringe events, and free public performances. Whether you’re a lifelong choral enthusiast or simply curious to experience something new, this year’s programme offers something for every ear and every age. Go to corkchoral.ie for tickets and programme information.
Throughout May: Bealtaine Festival 2025, nationwide
Bealtaine Festival, Ireland’s national celebration of the arts and creativity as we age, is celebrating its 30th anniversary! This milestone edition will unfold across Ireland throughout May, offering an expansive lineup of performances and activities that both look back and look forward in a celebration of the diversity of ageing. Visit bealtaine.ie for the fantastic programme of events.
2-5 May: Ballydehob Jazz Festival, Cork
The Ballydehob Jazz Festival is back! The little village at the gateway to the Mizen, is preparing once again to light up with joy, music, circus, creativity, and connection. Over the Bank Holiday Weekend, Ballydehob will come alive with an extraordinary lineup of global talent, homegrown creativity, and the kind of community spirit that has made this the biggest small jazz and arts festival in the world. Click here for more information.
2-10 May: Galway Theatre Festival 2025
This unforgettable celebration of theatre is back for nine days bringing you a programme packed with theatre that challenges, excites, and inspires. Expect everything from climate change drag cabarets to politically provocative drama, physical comedy, and spoken word with a surrealist twist. See galwaytheatrefestival.com for more.
3-4 May: Restival at Mount Congreve Gardens, Co Waterford
A unique two-day festival, Restival is dedicated entirely to rest, rejuvenation, and the healing power of nature. Set against the breath-taking backdrop of Mount Congreve’s 70 acres of woodland gardens and vibrant spring blooms, the event offers “restivalgoers” a rare chance to immerse themselves in a weekend of wellness and mindful connection. See mountcongreve.com for more information.
3-4 May: Festival of Gardens and Nature, Co Laois
Visitors can expect a star-studded lineup including Nigel Slater, Diarmuid Gavin, Darina Allen, Sean Ronayne, Johnny Flynn, and Dominic West, as the Festival of Gardens and Nature returns for its second outing to Ballintubbert Gardens and House. Founded by garden designers, Catherine FitzGerald, and Minnie Preston, the festival is a celebration of creativity, sustainability and the natural world. Click here for details.
4 May: Styled by Sarah Rickard Live Summer Event, Dublin
Styled By: Sarah Rickard’s live summer fashion event, an exclusive gathering that blends style, wellness, and sustainability, will take place in The Iveagh Garden hotel on 4 May. The afternoon will include a fashion show styled and presented by Sarah, along with a guest panel including health coach Clare McKenna, aesthetician Dr Edel Woods and sustainability expert Pat Kane. Click here for more information.
7-11 May: Culture Date with Dublin 8
Culture Date with Dublin 8 is a neighbourhood initiative celebrating Dublin 8’s rich cultural and historical heritage with over 100 specially curated events including talks, walks, family activities, markets, exhibitions, performances, concerts and more! Among this year’s events is a concert in Goldenbridge Cemetery marking the 250th anniversary year of Daniel O’Connell’s birth, a performance by Dublin 8 resident Paul Noonan of Bell X1 and historian Donal Fallon will host an evening of music and storytelling reflecting on the area’s historic breweries. Click here for more details.
8-26 May: ‘Monaghan at 70’ Art Exhibition, Dublin
Internationally acclaimed artist Peter Monaghan will celebrate his 70th birthday with a retrospective exhibition of his life’s work and a book launch at Gormleys Gallery in Dublin. The exhibition will be the most intimate of the artist’s life, featuring sketches of his family as they grew up alongside the contemporary works for which he is famous. Visit gormleys.ie for more information.
9-11 May: Fashion & Farming Festival 2025, Kinsale, Co Cork
This unique three-day event is set to explore the connection between what we wear and where it comes from. Whether you’re a fashion enthusiast, a farmer or simply curious about the relationship between these two worlds, Fashion and Farming gathers the innovators, dreamers, fabricators, planners and inventors that will sow the seeds for fresh ideas to help mend the farm-to-fabric cycles, which have been damaged in recent decades. Click here for more information.
10 May: Niall Harbison – Tina, the Dog who Changed the World, Dublin
If you love dogs, there’s a good chance you’re following Niall Harbison on Instagram. Following the release of his book Hope in 2023, the Irishman is taking to the stage to share the next chapter of his story. Join Niall as he talks about how Tina, a golden retriever he found chained up in the Thai heat, started a global movement to save street dogs. Niall will discuss how Tina’s legacy led to the formation of the charity Happy Doggo and the building of a hospital to help Thailand’s most vulnerable street dogs. Click here for tickets.
10 May: Darkness Into Light, worldwide
Darkness Into Light, Pieta’s biggest fundraising event, returns on Saturday, 10 May. This year, the campaign is being spearheaded by Grammy-winning singer-songwriter RuthAnne. With over 100,000 participants expected to take part around the world, Darkness Into Light begins in darkness at 4:15am with dawn breaking as participants cross the finish line, symbolising the journey from crisis to hope. Visit pieta.ie to sign up now.
10 May: Croagh Park Heritage Trail Walking Festival, Westport
Raising funds for Mayo Roscommon Hospice, this year’s walking festival will take place on Saturday 10 May. It will include a one day guided or self-guided walk along the final section of the Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail, from Aghagower to Murrisk, a distance of approximately 20 kilometres. Click here for more information.
18 May: Tequila Masterclass, Baltimore, Cork
The Algiers, Baltimore, is inviting guests to a rare and refined Tequila Masterclass led by co-owner and craft cocktail expert Bill Hillyard on Sunday, 18 May at 7pm. A lifelong tequila aficionado and recent graduate of an intensive Master Class in tequila production in Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico, Bill will guide attendees through a tasting journey of elevated, rare, and terroir-driven tequilas – some of which are unavailable anywhere else in Ireland. Click here for more information.
18 May: Irish Pop-Up Collective, Dun Laoghaire, Dublin
Fifty plus Irish brands and businesses are coming together for the 6th Irish Popup Collective (IPUC) on Sunday 18 May at the Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire. Expect everything from fashion, beauty and homewares to art, craft, food and drink. It’s an excellent opportunity to discover new and established local brands and to support them by buying from the creators and innovators behind them. Click here for more details.
23-24 May: International Festival of Time 2025
This globally celebrated event brings together master watchmakers, horology enthusiasts, collectors, and artisans for an unparalleled celebration of timekeeping excellence. Now in its third year, the festival has firmly established itself as one of Europe’s premier horology events, featuring an array of exhibitions, masterclasses, expert talks, and exclusive showcases from some of the world’s finest independent watchmakers. Click here to book tickets.
23-25 May: Lovely Days Live at The Guinness Storehouse, Dublin
Guinness and the Guinness Storehouse are bringing the ultimate experience to St. James’s Gate for three electric days in May, with all proceeds from ticket sales going towards the Guinness Dublin 8 Community Fund. The amazing lineup includes CMAT, Fontaines DC, Irish trad supergroup BIIRD and Lankum. Apply for tickets here.
24-25 May: Street Feast, nationwide
Ireland’s favourite community celebration, Street Feast, is back for its 15th year, and this milestone event is set to be bigger and better than ever. The initiative invites neighbours across the country to come together for a shared meal, a chat, and a chance to turn strangers into friends. If you want to take part, register to host your Street Feast and receive your free party pack complete with bunting, stickers, invites, posters and DIY guide at StreetFeast.ie.
25 May: Marilyn’s Mater Paddle, Donabate, Co Dublin
Following the success of its first run last year, Marilyn’s Mater Paddle is back for its second year, with proceeds from ticket sales and fundraising going to support women’s cancer care in the Mater Public Hospital. The event is open to adults of all ages with everyone who signs up receiving their very own Paddle Pack, featuring a blonde bombshell wig, retro red heart-shaped glasses and a beach-ball. See eventmaster.ie for ticket information.
30-31 May: Paddy – the Life and Times of Paddy Armstrong, The Everyman, Cork
Directed by Mary-Elaine Tynan, is a moving, and hilarious, one-man show which was inspired by the wrongful conviction of Paddy Armstrong, a member of the Guildford Four, and his fight for justice. It is co-written by and stars Don Wycherley who brings unflinching honesty, humour, and pathos to his portrayal of Paddy – a man scarred by a flawed system, yet refusing to be defined by it. Visit everymancork.com.
