Cork Folk Festival 2026

Cork Folk Festival has been running since the late 1970s and returns for its 47th edition from Thursday 8 to Sunday 11 October 2026. It is one of the longest-running folk and traditional music festivals in Ireland, built around a mix of ticketed concerts in the city’s church and theatre venues and informal sessions in Cork’s pubs. Mary Black headlines the 2026 programme, with further acts confirmed in the run-up to the weekend.

What to expect

The festival spreads across several of Cork’s most atmospheric venues, with St Peter’s Church and Triskel Christchurch hosting seated concerts, and pubs including An Spailpin Fanach carrying the informal session side of the weekend. Expect a programme that ranges from big-name headline shows to intimate afternoon sets, plus the trad sessions that run in Cork’s pubs year-round getting an extra lift for festival week. Past editions have paired well-known singer-songwriters with instrumental groups and up-and-coming folk acts, and organisers typically release the full lineup and venue-by-venue schedule around ticket on-sale in the summer.

Getting there

Cork City Centre is compact and walkable, so most festival venues sit within 10 to 15 minutes of each other on foot. Cork Kent Railway Station and Parnell Place Bus Station are both a short walk from the main venue cluster around the city core. By road, Cork is roughly two and a half hours from Dublin via the M8 motorway. City centre car parks such as Lavitts Quay serve the St Peter’s Church and Triskel Christchurch area well. Given the festival falls in October, booking accommodation ahead is worthwhile as the city also has GAA and other autumn events competing for rooms that weekend.

Good to know

• Dates: 8 to 11 October 2026, Cork City Centre
• Headliner: Mary Black, with further acts announced ahead of the festival
• Price: Ticket prices vary by concert; weekend passes are available
• Tickets and programme: corkfolkfestival.com
• Organised by: Cork Folk Festival - Feile Chorcai