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food-drink · Friday 14 August 2026 · 6:00pm 
The Big Table Mixer - Marina Market x Cork on a Fork
At Marina Market · Centre Park Road, Cork City, Co. Cork
At Marina Market · Centre Park Road, Cork City, Co. Cork
A long table, eight kitchens, no alcohol, and 99 strangers who quickly stop feeling like strangers - that is The Big Table Mixer in a sentence. Running as part of Cork on a Fork Fest 2026, this ticketed dinner at Marina Market is aimed squarely at people who want a proper social night out without the drink at the centre of it. It suits solo diners, newcomers to Cork, and anyone curious about the growing alcohol-free scene. With only 100 places and a fixed three-course format, it is designed to get people talking.
Doors open at 5:30pm for a 6pm sit-down, running until 9pm. Guests are seated at communal long tables and worked through three courses put together by some of Marina Market’s best-known traders: Nua Asador, Okra, The Greek, Eco Fish, MKT Burger, Kura, Just Wing It, and Sweet Spot. The spread crosses a good range of styles - from Argentine-style grills and Korean-influenced plates to Greek street food and something sweet to finish.
Between courses, DJ Stevie G keeps the room moving without it tipping into a club night. Non-alcoholic cocktails come from SAOR Zero Alcohol Bar, and Heineken 0.0 is available if you want something cold and familiar in your hand.
The organisers are clear this is not a speed-dating event. Think of it more like a supper-club version of a market night - loose, convivial, and structured just enough to stop it becoming awkward.
Marina Market itself opened in 2020 in a converted warehouse on Centre Park Road, and has since become one of Cork’s most reliably lively food destinations, home to around 30 traders and used regularly for events. Free parking is available on site.
Marina Market is on Centre Park Road on the south side of Cork City, roughly a 20-minute walk from the city centre or a short taxi ride. If you are driving in from outside the city, the N25 and N22 both feed into the south city ring road. Bus Eireann services run into Cork’s Parnell Place bus station from most of Munster; from there a taxi to Marina Market takes about five minutes. The market has free on-site parking if you are arriving by car.
Cork City rewards a few extra hours - the English Market, the Crawford Art Gallery, and the lanes around Oliver Plunkett Street are all within easy reach of the city centre. There is more to see in Cork and across Co. Cork.
Heading to Marina Market in Cork? Cork has plenty more to see. Read the Cork area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.