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food-drink · Thursday 9 July 2026 · Various 
Kilmore Quay Seafood Festival
At Stella Maris Centre and Kilmore Quay Harbour · Kilmore Quay, Co. Wexford
At Stella Maris Centre and Kilmore Quay Harbour · Kilmore Quay, Co. Wexford
Kilmore Quay’s annual seafood festival has been running since 1985, which puts the 2026 edition at its 41st year - a span that says a great deal about how much people want to be here in July. The fishing village is one of the most genuinely working harbours left on the south-east coast, and the festival is rooted in that: it was started by the Kilmore Quay Community Development Association to celebrate the local catch and raise funds for the community. That origin is still visible in how the event runs - low-key, good-humoured, and genuinely anchored to the place. It suits families with children, anyone who eats fish, and people who want a few days by the sea without a corporate events company in charge.
The festival spreads across the Stella Maris Centre and the harbour itself over four days (Thursday to Sunday). At the Stella Maris Centre you will find the celebrated seafood platters - the main draw for most visitors - along with bingo nights and a base for family activities. The harbour front hosts live music including local acts and a social evening, traditional set dancing, and a Céilí Mór at the crossroads. Past programmes have included a fish market on the Friday offering locally caught fish at good prices, cookery demonstrations by local chefs showing what to do with the catch, an artisan food and craft fair, and a lecture by local naturalist Jim Hurley. Children’s events have included sandcastle competitions, beach games, and creative arts workshops - bring the kids with old clothes and low expectations about staying dry. A 5k road race typically runs on the Saturday, and Sunday has historically featured a raft race in support of the RNLI. The specific 2026 programme will be published on the festival website closer to the date - check there for confirmed times.
Kilmore Quay sits on the south Wexford coast, roughly 20km from Wexford town. By road, follow the N25 toward Wexford and then take the R739 south through Bridgetown - the village is well signposted from that junction. There is no practical public transport link to the village, so a car is the realistic option for most people. Parking on the festival weekend can fill up quickly around the harbour; arriving early in the day or walking in from roadside parking on the approach road is sensible.
Outside the festival itself, the village has a small maritime museum on one of the old lightships moored in the harbour, and the Saltee Islands - Ireland’s largest bird sanctuary - are accessible by boat trip from the quay in summer. There is more to see in Kilmore Quay and across Co. Wexford.
Heading to Stella Maris Centre and Kilmore Quay Harbour in Kilmore Quay? Wexford has plenty more to see. Read the Kilmore Quay area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.