From Thursday, July 24, to Sunday, July 27, Kilkenny will host a variety of thrilling events for its first-ever Pride festival. An exciting four-day event, the Kilkenny Pride Festival is set to be a programme full of love, community, identity, and togetherness, as emphasised by the theme of ‘Le Chéile’, which means ‘together’ in Irish.
Alan Slattery, the co-chair of Kilkenny Pride, said, “We want to show the world what a welcoming city Kilkenny is. For a destination renowned for its festivals, it’s high time there was a Kilkenny Pride festival here too. We’re looking forward to celebrating a lively, positive event in the city, and we hope to see lots of people lining the streets, whether they’re walking in the parade or cheering from the sidelines.”
The aforementioned parade, another first for the city, will take place on Saturday, July 26, from 1pm to 2pm. The route will begin at the beautiful and iconic Kilkenny Castle, moving down towards High Street and the Market Yard, and ending at the Butler Gallery, with An Garda Síochána guiding the procession.
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In addition to the parade, there will be a plethora of other events on Saturday for the community to attend, including a Family Fun-Day at the Butler Gallery with Ossory Youth and Kilkenny County Council. The event will have bubbles, face painting, and a silks performer, along with performances from Seafall, MARYANN, local poet Samantha Joyce, and Antanna. Saturday will also include a Queer Céilí & Gig with Cré at Fennelly’s of Callan.
The other days of the festival will be just as fun-filled, with many activities to choose from. Thursday, July 24, will feature a Pride-themed Nerd Pub Quiz at Kyteler’s Inn, a Kilkenny Comedy Pride show at Kilkenny Home Rule Club, and a Karaoke Night at Biddy Early’s. The comedy show is supported by Cartoon Saloon and will have performances by Gearóid Farrelly, Sinéad Walsh, and Kate Feeney.
There will be a Drag & Draw art class at Wildflower Cafe, where attendees can get creative with drag artists as their models on Friday, July 25. For those wanting to party, Friday and Saturday will have Pride After Dark events at Cleere’s Theatre.
The festival will conclude on Sunday, July 27, with a Pride Barbecue sponsored by Lighthouse Studios and a Kilkenny Pride & Cult Collective Open Mic Night, both at The Home Rule Club.
Along with all these events, there’s a set of activities by the Kilkenny Youth Pride Committee that feature an Improv Night on Thursday (open to all ages), a screening of But I’m a Cheerleader on Friday (ages 15 to 21), and a pre-parade brunch on Saturday (ages 14 to 21).
With so much available to do, it’s sure to be an enjoyable and memorable weekend. Slattery added, “We hope that this festival and parade will grow into an annual celebration, one that belongs to the whole community, where everyone has the opportunity to get involved and feel part of it.”
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