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film · Friday 11 September 2026 · See website for times 
Kilkenny Animated Festival 2026
At Multiple venues across Kilkenny city · Kilkenny City, Co. Kilkenny
At Multiple venues across Kilkenny city · Kilkenny City, Co. Kilkenny
Kilkenny Animated is a three-day festival of animation, illustration, and visual storytelling, held each September in the medieval streets of Kilkenny city. It is hosted by two of Ireland’s most celebrated animation studios - five-time Academy Award-nominated Cartoon Saloon (Wolfwalkers, Song of the Sea, The Secret of Kells) and BAFTA award-winning Lighthouse Studios (The Bob’s Burgers Movie, The Cuphead Show!). The result is a festival with genuine creative depth, shaped by the people who actually make the films, not just screen them. It suits animation fans, illustrators, students, families, and anyone curious about the craft behind some of the best-loved films of recent years.
The programme runs across multiple venues in Kilkenny city and covers the full range of what animation involves. Screenings include feature films and short films from Ireland and around the world - and where possible, the filmmakers themselves take part in Q&As afterwards. Mainstage talks bring international animators and directors into conversation with audiences, covering everything from career paths to the nuts and bolts of production.
Workshops are a core part of the festival, with hands-on sessions run by studio artists. Past programmes have included WolfWalkers mask-making, flipbook workshops, comic book inking, and medieval walking and sketching tours through Kilkenny’s laneways and slipways. There is also a Pathways to Animation strand aimed at students and recent graduates looking to break into the industry. Guided tours of the Cartoon Saloon studios give a rare look at how a world-class animation house actually operates day to day.
The festival is now in its fifth year and has quickly established itself on the Irish animation calendar. The Butler Gallery is among the city venues that have hosted events in previous years.
Kilkenny is well served by road and rail. Bus Éireann and Expressway routes connect Kilkenny to Dublin, Cork, Waterford, and Limerick. By car from Dublin, it is roughly 90 minutes via the M9 motorway. Irish Rail runs services to Kilkenny MacDonagh Station from Heuston Station in Dublin, with the journey taking just under two hours. The city centre is compact and walkable from the station. If you are driving, parking is available at several pay car parks around the city, and street parking is metered during the day.
Kilkenny is one of Ireland’s most rewarding medieval cities - the castle, the Black Abbey, St Canice’s Cathedral and round tower, and the craft quarter around Kilkenny Design Centre are all worth time around the festival. There is more to see in Kilkenny and across Co. Kilkenny.
Heading to Multiple venues across Kilkenny city in Kilkenny? Kilkenny has plenty more to see. Read the Kilkenny area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.