What's On in Limerick

The Limerick Cocktail Festival turns the city’s bar scene into a week-long trail celebrating cocktails, nightlife, music and the night-time economy. Thirteen venues take part in 2026 — among them The Old Quarter, Pharmacia, The Locke, Katie Daly’s, The Savoy and The George — each mixing exclusive festival cocktails and special offers for the week.

The format is simple: buy a ticket through the festival platform and you receive seven wristbands, one for each day of the festival week. Wearing one unlocks €8 signature cocktails, buy-one-get-one-free deals and other discounts across the participating bars, so you can dip in for a single evening or graze your way through the full week.

It is an easy festival to combine with a city break — everything happens in venues around the city centre, so no transport is needed beyond your own two feet. Collect your wristbands from the designated pickup points before heading out.

Cappamore Show reaches its 70th edition in 2026, and the formula is intact: a proper one-day agricultural show, billed simply as a family fun day, on the showfield at Ballyvoreen just outside Cappamore village.

Cattle and horse classes are the backbone of the day, with entries taken in the days beforehand and judging running through the afternoon, alongside a full range of competitions and trade stands. It is a good-natured window on rural east Limerick — the kind of event where prize heifers, home baking and local sponsors’ banners all share the same field.

Gates open to the public at 10.30am. Admission is €15 for adults and €10 for students and OAPs, with children free, which keeps it an affordable outing for families. Cappamore is a village in east Limerick, so plan on driving and expect field parking on the day.

For eight days in August, the University of Limerick hosts the WFDF World Ultimate Club Championships — the world championship tournament for club ultimate teams. The 2026 edition brings together teams from more than 30 nations and over 3,000 athletes, competing from Saturday 15 to Saturday 22 August.

Ultimate is a fast, athletic team sport played with a flying disc, and a world club championships is the deepest field the sport offers — club sides from across the globe playing on UL’s pitches through the week.

Even if you have never watched the sport, this is a rare chance to see it played at the highest level in Ireland, and the tournament adds an international buzz to Limerick during its run. The university campus sits on the edge of the city on the banks of the Shannon, an easy trip from the centre.

The Limerick Show is the county’s largest family and agricultural festival, expecting up to 15,000 visitors, 1,000 competitors and 150 trade exhibitors for its 2026 outing at Limerick Racecourse, Greenmount Park, Patrickswell, on Sunday 23 August.

The day mixes serious competition with a big family day out. Show jumping and equestrian classes run alongside a dog show and horticulture displays, while away from the rings there is a food village, markets, live music, a fashion show and a dedicated kids zone — enough to fill a full day whether you have come for the horses or just the atmosphere.

Gates open at 9am. Admission is €15 for adults and €10 for senior citizens and students, with children under 16 free. You can buy an online fast-track pass in advance through the show website or simply pay at the gate, where both card and cash are accepted.

Full Moon Rising is that rare thing: a music festival run entirely by volunteers, staged on Séanie’s farm in the heart of Kilmeedy village in west Limerick. The 2026 festival is its fifth edition, running over the Friday and Saturday nights of 11 and 12 September, with music spread across three stages, food and a festival village.

Saturday’s main line-up features ten acts, headed by Paddy Casey and Mark McCabe alongside the likes of The Hollyz and Madra Rua, while Friday opens more gently with a kids’ night, making the first evening a genuinely family-friendly affair. The organisers’ own pitch — come for the night, stay for the feeling — captures its warm, communal character.

The festival is run by Kilmeedy Community Development Group and every cent raised goes towards developing the village’s newly acquired seven-acre community site, so the ticket money stays local. Camping is available if you want to make a weekend of it, though the campsite is adults-only.

Culture Night is Ireland’s annual national celebration of culture: on one Friday evening each September, arts and heritage venues across the island open their doors late and put on events, all free of charge, supported by the Arts Council and the local authorities. In 2026 it falls on Friday 18 September.

In Limerick that means an evening of open doors across the city — galleries, museums, theatres and studios putting on performances, exhibitions and one-off events into the night. The best approach is not to over-plan: pick a starting point, then wander between venues and sample things you would never normally book a ticket for. It is also one of the few evenings when you can poke around inside buildings that are usually closed to visitors.

The detailed Limerick programme is published on the Culture Night website closer to the night, where you can browse events by location. Everything is free, and while most events need no ticket, smaller venues may operate first-come, first-served.

The Limerick Jazz Festival runs over five days in late September, with most evening performances upstairs in Dolans, the long-running live music venue on the Dock Road, and select shows at the Belltable arts centre on O’Connell Street.

The 2026 programme mixes international and Irish acts: the Tom Ollendorf Trio with Will Vinson, the Zoe Gilby Quartet, the Tommy Halferty Quartet and the John Donegan Quintet all feature, and the centrepiece is a celebration of John Coltrane’s centenary with his masterpiece A Love Supreme performed live. Around the gigs there are workshops and an education strand, including the festival’s Young Irish Jazz Musician programme.

The venues are small and central, which is a big part of the festival’s appeal — you are never more than a few metres from the band. Book ahead for the headline shows through the festival website, and check the full programme there as extra events are added.

Bualadh Bos — Irish for “clap your hands” — is Limerick’s festival of arts for children, running over eleven days in venues across the city. Anchored by the Lime Tree Theatre and Belltable, it brings some of the best theatre for young audiences from Ireland and abroad to Limerick each October.

Two opening productions are already confirmed for 2026: Irish children’s theatre company Branar presents How to Catch a Star, while Swedish company Teater Pero performs Aston’s Stones — both running in the festival’s first days, with school shows during the week and family performances on the Saturday. The full programme is announced in September, and the festival is entering a new phase of growth backed by the JP McManus Benevolent Fund alongside Arts Council and council funding.

If you are visiting Limerick with children in early October, it is well worth checking the programme — shows are pitched at specific age ranges, so book the ones that fit your crew.

Éigse Michael Hartnett is the literary and arts festival of Newcastle West, the west Limerick town that was home to the poet Michael Hartnett. Each October it fills the town’s venues with poetry, readings, music and talks, and it remains the setting for the Michael Hartnett Poetry Award.

For 2026 the festival carries a European theme, marking Ireland’s EU presidency. It opens on Thursday 1 October with an Éigse Festival Parade in The Square at 7pm, followed by a gala concert of German and Irish music, poetry and readings at the Longcourt House Hotel. The programme continues with a reading by the novelist Donal Ryan on Saturday 3 October, and “Arán agus Brot”, a talk and demonstration on bread and its history by chef Tom Flavin, on Sunday 4 October.

Most events are free, with a handful ticketed; the concerts in particular are worth booking ahead. The full programme is published on the festival website closer to the dates.

The Ballyhoura Walking Festival celebrates its thirtieth anniversary in 2026, based as ever in Kilfinane among the Ballyhoura mountains of south Limerick. Across the October weekend there is a variety of walks to suit all ages and abilities — everything from sunrise hikes to family-friendly strolls — led through some of the best walking country in Munster.

What makes the weekend distinctive is its pairing with the Joyce Brothers Music Festival, which runs alongside it in Kilfinane. It celebrates the legacy of P.W. and Robert Dwyer Joyce — natives of nearby Glenosheen, remembered for collecting and writing Irish music and song — and fills the village with music, song, dance and history between the walks.

The detailed programme of walks and events is revealed later in the year on the Visit Ballyhoura website, so check back closer to the date before planning which days to come. Kilfinane is a small village, and the combination of walkers and musicians makes for a sociable weekend — book accommodation early.

Running in Limerick since 2007, the Polish Arts Festival is the only dedicated festival of its kind in Ireland — a celebration of Polish culture and art that also nurtures collaborations between Polish and Irish artists and supports Polish artists living and creating in Ireland. The 22nd edition runs from 5 to 8 November 2026.

The festival opens at the Belltable on O’Connell Street on the Thursday evening, with the programme then spreading across several city venues: the Belltable itself, Limerick City Gallery of Art, the Hunt Museum and the Record Room. Expect a mix of exhibitions, performance and conversation — the full programme is published on the festival website in the run-up.

Backed by the Arts Council, Limerick City and County Council and the Polish Embassy, it is a genuine two-way cultural exchange rather than a niche affair. All the venues are within walking distance of each other in the city centre, so it is easy to take in several events in a day.

Christmas in Limerick is the city’s council-run festive programme, running from Monday 23 November 2026 right through to Sunday 3 January 2027. Arthur’s Quay Park becomes the hub, with a festive village of lights and seasonal stalls, street entertainment and appearances from Santa, while the city centre lights up for the shopping weeks.

The best-loved family draw is Limerick on Ice, one of Ireland’s longest-running outdoor ice rinks, which returns to Arthur’s Quay Park for the season, with skate sessions from around €18 for children and penguin skate-aids for beginners. Nearby, the Milk Market runs its Christmas food and craft markets in the run-up to Christmas Eve. It all makes for an easy day out with children: skate a session, wander the festive village, then warm up over hot chocolate. Exact dates and opening hours for individual attractions are confirmed closer to the season, so check ahead before travelling for any specific event.

Santa’s Wonderland is a much-loved interactive Christmas experience in the village of Colmanswell, in rural County Limerick. Families are led through a series of festive rooms — Santa’s bedroom, an igloo and the elves’ workshop — where children post their letters, meet Mrs Claus and the elves, and have their own chat with Santa. There are arctic animals to see, storytelling and entertainment, with hot chocolate for the children and mulled wine for the grown-ups.

For 2026 it opens on Saturday 5 December and runs across the two further weekends before Christmas. It is aimed squarely at younger children, and booking ahead is essential — tickets are €25 per child (up to age 13) and €10 per adult, and photos should be booked at the same time as your visit. Colmanswell is roughly a 45-minute drive south of Limerick city, so allow time for the trip out and back.

Limerick Racecourse at Greenmount Park, Patrickswell, hosts its Christmas Racing Festival over four consecutive days from St Stephen’s Day, 26 to 29 December 2026. It is one of the fixtures of the Irish racing Christmas, and for many Limerick families the trip to the races is as much a part of the holiday as the turkey.

Each day has its own feature race: the Dorans Pride Novice Hurdle on the Saturday, the Dawn Run Mares Novice Chase on the Sunday, and the meeting’s highlight, the Grade 1 Faugheen Novice Chase, on Monday 28 December, before racing wraps up on the Tuesday. It is quality National Hunt sport at the time of year when the jumps season is at its best.

If you cannot make Christmas week, the racecourse’s other big date is the Munster National weekend on 17 and 18 October 2026. The course is a short drive from Limerick city; racing starts around midday each day, so make a full afternoon of it.

Held each year as the centrepiece of Limerick’s St. Patrick’s weekend, the Limerick International Band Championship is billed as Ireland’s only international marching-band contest. Bands travel from across Ireland, Europe and the United States to compete, marching and performing through the city centre before the judges and the crowds lining O’Connell Street. The 55th championship takes place at midday on Sunday 14 March 2027, three days ahead of the St. Patrick’s Day parade.

It makes for a colourful, noisy and thoroughly family-friendly morning out, with drum corps, colour guards and show bands in full regalia playing everything from marches to pop medleys. There is no ticket needed to watch from the street, but arrive early to claim a good spot along the route as the pavements fill quickly. The championship anchors a longer festival programme that runs through to St. Patrick’s Day itself, so it pairs naturally with a full weekend in the city.

Limerick’s St. Patrick’s Day parade is the highlight of the city’s biggest family weekend of the spring. On Wednesday 17 March 2027 the parade winds through the city centre — down O’Connell Street and on towards Arthur’s Quay Park — with floats, marching groups, performers and community organisations from across the city and county. Recent parades have featured professional street-arts companies and aerial acrobatics alongside the traditional local clubs and school groups.

The parade is free to watch, and the wider St. Patrick’s Festival fills the surrounding days with live music, street entertainment and family activities, with post-parade celebrations continuing in Arthur’s Quay Park. The festival also includes the Limerick International Band Championship a few days earlier, listed separately. If you are bringing children, aim to arrive in good time and pick a spot near the start of the route on O’Connell Street, where the atmosphere builds well before the parade sets off.