Savour Kilkenny
vendor catering Ireland.
Savour Kilkenny is one of the largest food festivals in Ireland and the single best autumn opportunity for artisan producers and street-food traders. The festival takes over the Parade in Kilkenny city with roughly 100 artisan food producers and street-food vendors across the late-October bank holiday weekend, and reported over 74,500 visitors in 2025. Crucially, the application window is early — it closed on 5 May for the 2026 edition — so this is an event you plan six months out, not six weeks.
Festival facts
- Venue
- The Parade, Kilkenny city centre, Co. Kilkenny
- County
- Kilkenny
- Typical dates
- Late October bank holiday weekend (5 days)
- Attendance
- Over 74,500 visitors reported in 2025
- Operator
- Savour Kilkenny
- Application window
- Market applications open in spring — the 2026 window closed 5 May
- Pitch fees
- Not published — indicatively €200–€700 for the weekend for an artisan or street-food stall
- Official site
- savourkilkenny.com/ ↗
Apply far earlier than you expect
The single most common reason traders miss Savour Kilkenny is timing. Market applications for the October festival close in early May, roughly six months before the event. Diary it in the first quarter rather than waiting for the autumn festival cycle to start, because by the time most operators begin thinking about October the list is closed.
An artisan-and-street-food mix
Savour deliberately mixes packaged artisan producers with hot street-food traders across roughly 100 stalls. That mix shapes the crowd: people arrive expecting to both graze and buy things to take home. If you have a retail line — sauces, bakes, jars — as well as a hot offer, this is one of the few Irish festivals where both sides genuinely earn their space.
A city-centre autumn festival
Trading on the Parade in late October is a different proposition from a summer field. Weather is a real revenue variable and sheltered service matters. On the upside, a city-centre location makes mid-event restocking straightforward, there is mains power in many pitch positions, and the local hospitality trade draws people into the city all weekend rather than relying on the festival alone.
Kilkenny's wider calendar
Kilkenny punches far above its size for festivals — Savour in October, the Cat Laughs comedy festival at the June bank holiday, and Kilkenny Arts Festival in August all draw street-food trade into the same compact city centre. If you are travelling to Kilkenny for Savour, it is worth building relationships with the city's other festival organisers while you are there.
Frequently asked questions
When do Savour Kilkenny trader applications close?
Early May for the following October festival — the 2026 window closed on 5 May. That is roughly six months ahead of the event and it is the most common reason traders miss out. Plan it in the first quarter of the year.
How big is Savour Kilkenny?
Roughly 100 artisan food producers and street-food vendors take over the Parade in Kilkenny city, and the festival reported over 74,500 visitors in 2025. It is one of the largest food festivals in the country.
Is Savour Kilkenny suitable for packaged products as well as hot food?
Yes — the festival deliberately mixes artisan producers with hot street food, and the crowd arrives expecting to both graze and buy things to take home. If you have a retail line as well as a hot offer, both earn their space here.
What is trading in late October like compared with summer?
Weather becomes a real revenue variable, so sheltered service matters. The upside of a city-centre location is straightforward mid-event restocking, mains power in many pitch positions, and footfall that does not depend entirely on the festival itself.
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