Friday, 14th August '26
*Please note booking fees may apply on some events
Food For Thought Mini-Symposium
9.30am-12.00pm, Fri 14th Aug, St Peters
A free industry-focused and led mini symposium looking at food tourism in Cork and storytelling for food businesses - for the people who grow, cook, share and celebrate food. MC’d by Kate Ryan, Flavour.ie.
- 9.30am: Food and Tourism panel discussion. In 2025, Fáilte Ireland launched an all-Ireland campaign to position Ireland as the world’s gourmet capital. How can Cork redefine itself as Ireland’s Food Capital and become the world region of gastronomy, showcasing the best of the Cork city and county’s food heritage and culture in a sustainable, authentic way? Leading experts, from food tourism strategists and policymakers to brand builders and chefs, share insights and debate how everyone can contribute to Cork’s ambitious culinary vision.
- 11.00am:Storytelling for food business. An interactive panel offering practical tips for food and drink businesses, from growers to hospitality providers, on telling their brand story authentically and engagingly. Panellists Caroline Hennessy, Chris Tower, and Aishling McCarthy share insights on reaching audiences and tailoring messages for different platforms.
FREE | Food Symposium Bookings.
Producers Bus Tour – Land of Milk, Butter, Cheese
10.00am-3.00pm, Fri 14th Aug, Cork City and County
Discover a land of rich dairy traditions, renowned for its exceptional milk, butter, and cheese. Begin at the Butter Museum and explore Cork’s heritage as a global centre of the butter trade. Then pop across to Shandon Sweets, founded in 1920, to pick up a bag of handmade traditional hard sweets, before journeying to West Cork, home to some of Ireland’s finest dairy produce. At a local farm, you’ll learn about milking and cheese-making from the source. The tour will finish at The English Market, where you can find delicious local dairy produce.
€95. Producers Bus Tour Bookings Cork City Tours.
Cork on a Fork Fab Food Trail
10.30am-2.00pm and 2.30pm-5.00pm Fri 14th Aug, City Centre various
Walk and taste your way around Cork city with a specially designed Cork on a Fork Food Trail visiting the very best places using the very best Iocal produce. An experienced guide will share their love of good food and Cork city, and stories of the history and culture of Cork as you stroll the city streets. Vegetarian friendly. Brought to you by Fab Food Trails.
€85 | Fab Food Trails Bookings.
Spinning Back the Years
11.00am - 12noon, Fri 14th Aug, The City Library – Rory Gallagher Music Library
This is a toe tapping, taste testing trip into the golden age of the Irish showband era (1950s–1970s). Crackling gramophone records, larger than life stories, and classic Cork flavours bring back a time when the city’s ballrooms buzzed, parish halls swung, and every weekend promised music, dancing, and a late-night home. It’s Cork culture with the volume turned up.
FREE | No booking required.
A Hysterical Children’s Food Trail
12.00pm-2.00pm, Fri 14th Aug, Cork City Centre
Join Angela from Hysterical Histories for a fun and fascinating children’s food trail through Cork City Centre. Children can sample bite-size child-friendly local food as they wander through the city. They will also hear fun and interesting facts about food and history in Cork. This year’s new route will include Amicus, Urban Pantry, the English Market, and Tory Top Chocolates. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, who can also book tastings if they wish.
€18 | Children’s Food Trail Bookings Eventbrite.
English Market Taste Trail
12.00pm-3.00pm, Fri 14th Aug, The English Market
Discover a true taste of the English Market, the food heart of Cork City, on this 6-stop taste trail, exclusive to Cork on a Fork. This curated journey invites you to savour a selection of small plates from some of the market’s most loved traders. From On The Hoof to Macki Sushi, O’Flynn's Sausages, Uncles, Kay’s Kitchen, and On the Pigs Back, each stop offers a unique taste of Cork, with everything on your plate sourced from the market.
€42 | English Market Taste Trail Bookings Eventbrite.
Hands-On Food for a Sustainable Cork with Cork Food Policy Council
12.30pm-2.30pm, Fri 14th Aug, St Peters
Join Cork Food Policy Council for engaging events focused on sustainability, food education, and community action:
- 12:30pm: Stop Food Waste. Larry Murphy will give a demonstration on the Bokashi Method of composting. This is a very easy composting process and only requires a small bin and some bran. It produces powerful liquid feed for your garden plants, Larry Murphy has been using this method for years and will demonstrate how to go about purchasing and using.
- 1:30pm: Food & Farming. Community approaches to a resilient food future .
FREE but booking required | Hands on Food Bookings Eventbrite.
Taste of Shandon: Bells, Bread, Butter, Beef... Samosas and Sweets! Booked Out
2.00pm-4.00pm, Fri 14th Aug, The Butter Museum
A lively showcase of food, tradition, and local craft at The Butter Museum in the historic Shandon area. Enjoy demonstrations of traditional soda bread and butter making with The Butter Museum and delicious samosas with The Four Liars, and hear insightful talks from local butcher James Nolan on spiced beef and the history of Shandon Bells. Visitors can also taste classic hard sweets from Shandon Sweets. Please note: Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
FREE | Booked Out
Savour & Sculpt Workshop
2.00pm-4.00pm Fri 14th Aug, Biodiversity Food hub Ballincollig, P31 PX67
An afternoon of creativity, sustainability and connection. Artist Martha Cashman will host a hands-on ceramics workshop where you will craft your own ceramic dipping bowl while Cathy Fitzgibbon aka The Culinary Celt will explore seasonal living, sustainability and the importance of creating a more intentional and sacred eating space using her signature mindful eating frameworks and models.
Price: €39. (Please note: additional optional fee applies for firing & finishing ceramic pieces following the workshop). Book Savour & Sculpt Workshop
Herb Garden Workshop
2.00pm-4.00pm, Fri 14th Aug, Douglas Community Park, Church Road (Meet outside Douglas Community Centre or at the herb garden.)
Douglas Tidy Towns invites you to an exploration of the herb garden with a herb preparation making demonstration led by botanist Jo Goodyear.
FREE | No booking required.
A Cork Whiskey Journey
2.00pm-5.00pm, Fri 14th Aug, Midleton Distillery & The Shelbourne Bar
Meet at The Shelbourne Bar, one of the country’s finest whiskey destinations, for an Irish coffee making demonstration and tasting. You’ll then travel to Midleton Distillery with Cronin's Coaches for an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour and premium tasting experience, where you’ll discover the craftsmanship and heritage behind some of Ireland’s most celebrated whiskeys.
€65 | A Cork City Journey Bookings Cork City Tours.
Farmers Market at Glenbrook Farm
2.00pm-6.00pm, Fri 14th Aug, Glenbrook Farm
Experience the best of local food and farming at a pop-up Farmers Market in the barn at Glenbrook Farm. Browse and buy fresh meat and seasonal vegetables, grown and produced on the farm, along with other produce from a selection of local makers and producers. Kids might even get a peek at the pigs, piglets, and chickens up close.
FREE Pay on consumption | All welcome. No booking required.
Summer Hill Salads - BOOKED OUT
3.00pm-6.00pm, Fri 14th Aug, Gabriel House
Barry, a passionate local grower, and David, a creative chef, have teamed up to celebrate sustainable food from soil to plate in Gabriel House, using fresh, seasonal produce from the garden. David will turn this harvest into simple, nourishing dishes, including fresh salads, barbecue with local meats, cheeses, and wine pairings. Together, they aim to reconnect people with their food sources while promoting sustainability, local producers, and wholesome eating.
€40 | Booked Out
Blood Guts and Blackpudding
4.00pm-6.00pm, Fri 14th Aug, St Peters
A talk and tasting with Ireland's culinary scholar on blood pudding culture - food writer, Kate Ryan of Flavour.ie. Learn how the puddings of Cork were pivotal to the city's offal eating traditions, spice trade, and pudding making; what makes the famous drisheen so Cork and why James Joyce wrote about it in his books; and explore the reasons why we all have our favourite pudding! Kate is joined by Cork chef, Pam Kelly, who will cook up a delicious tasting plate of different Cork puddings, all washed down with locally brewed Original 7.
€10 | Blood Guts and Blackpudding Bookings Flavour.ie.
Alive: The Art of Sourdough & Natural Wine
4.00pm-6.00pm, Fri 14th Aug, Callanan's Bar
What happens when you let nature lead? This talk uncovers the shared philosophy behind wild-fermented bread and low-intervention wine. This special edition will showcase Georgian wines and the people behind it. Immerse yourself in the art and science of sourdough bread-making, natural wine, and sustainable agricultural practices in Cork's most iconic pub - with Cork producer Benjamin Lebon Seeds Bread Kinsale, Dr. Fanny Leenhardt-Cohalan Wellbread and Pascal Rossignol Le Caveau Wine Merchants.
€30 | Sourdough and Natural Wine Bookings WellBread. | Over 18s.
Tide & Turf
4.00pm-6.00pm, Fri 14th Aug, Urban Pantry at the Fifth Quarter
Dive into delicious bites and sips of Cork upstairs at Urban Pantry. Enjoy fresh oysters and hot porchetta sandwiches from Happy Days, complimentary Stonewell cider and 90’s hip hop and soul with Ed Callanan.
€20 | Tide & Turf Bookings Eventbrite.
Cocktail Workshop & BBQ
5.00pm -7.00pm, Fri 14th Aug, Clancy's Cork
A fun cocktail workshop where you’ll craft a signature cocktail. Then keep the good times going with laid-back snacks & a glass of prosecco.
€30 | Cocktail Masterclass at Clancy's |Over 18s.
Rebel City Distillery Cork Cocktail Masterclass
5.45pm, Fri 14th Aug, Rebel City Distillery
Join a founder-led cocktail masterclass experience with Bhagya Barrett, co founder of Rebel City Distillery. Begin with a warm welcome - a Maharani Gin & Tonic or Maharani Vodka & Soda on arrival- followed by a guided tour of our boutique distillery. Learn basic mixology and hands-on techniques like shaking and stirring, then craft and enjoy two cocktails using Rebel City spirits.
€50 | Rebel City Cocktail Masterclass Ticketing |Over 18s.
The 3 Bs: Beamish, Ballads & Bodice
6.00pm-8.00pm, Fri 14th Aug, Forde's Bar
Sample tasty Bodice (a Cork speciality of salted pork ribs) sourced locally from the English Market. Cooked by the master himself, it goes down well with their smooth Creamy Beamys (Beamish). All to the backing track of the Leesiders!
FREE | No booking required.
Big Table Mixer
6.00pm-9.00pm, Fri 14th Aug, Marina Market
A fun, alcohol-free social dining experience designed for connection. Guests will gather around a long communal table to enjoy a shared three-course feast from some of Marina Market’s most loved traders, including Nua Asador, Okra, The Greek, Eco Fish, MKT Burger, Kura, Just Wing It, and Sweet Spot. Enjoy a non-alcoholic cocktail from SAOR Zero Alcohol Bar and Heineken 00. Between courses, guests can mingle in a relaxed social space, with party music from Stevie G. Perfect for making new connections, for solo diners, or anyone looking to skip the awkward speed-dating vibe, this event celebrates the growing culture of drink-free socialising in Cork. . Sponsored by M&P O Sullivan and Heineken 00.
€45 | Big Table Mixer Bookings Eventbrite.
Coffee House Lates at Nádúr Deli
6.00pm-9.00pm, Fri 14th Aug, Nádúr Deli, Nano Nagle
Nádúr Deli, nestled in a charming 18th-century building on the plaza of Nano Nagle Place, is staying open late, serving the very best of Irish + organic ingredients with live music + a tasting on the plaza. The menu embraces nature’s table with tasty plates, speciality cakes, Bean + Goose hot chocolates + West Cork Coffee organic coffee. Part of Coffee House Lates during Cork on a Fork.
No booking required | Walk ups only.
Come Celebrate Cork's Sparkling Counter Culture
6.00pm - 8pm, Fri 14th Aug, Quay Co-Op
A communal kimchi making workshop, hosted by My Goodness, at the iconic Quay Co-op café. Learn basic fermentation skills as everyone makes kimchi and kombucha together. The evening will be seasoned with stories of radical community building, on a micro and macro level. Participants will leave with a jar of their very own Communal Kimchi, and a kombucha SCOBY that they can use to create their own special fermented drinks at home.
€15-30 | Cork’s Sparkling Counter Culture Bookings Eventbrite.
Fire Friday: Rebel City Distillery x Hayfield Manor
6.30pm - 9.00pm, Fri 14th Aug, Bloom at Hayfield Manor
Turn up the heat with Fire Friday, an evening of craft cocktails and BBQ delights in Bloom and the Manor gardens. In collaboration with Rebel City Distillery, enjoy two house gin-based cocktails paired with a carefully chosen dish from the chef’s seasonal BBQ menu. Perfect for a relaxed, flavour-packed evening with friends, blending local spirits, fire-grilled flavours, and Hayfield Manor’s signature style.
€49 | Contact 021 4845900 or events@hayfieldmanor.ie to book | Over 18s.
Hysterical Histories Cork - Dinner theatre experience
7.00pm - 9.00pm, Fri 14th Aug, Amicus Restaurant
A laugh-out-loud 2 course dinner theatre experience unlike anything else in Ireland. This packed performance is suitable for all ages. Discover the highlights of Cork's 1,500 year history and become acquainted with the citys quirky characters. Enjoy Cork cuisine made from locally sourced ingredients served up with live music and plenty of personality as you engage with the actors. Leave with a belly full of food, a warm heart and a pain in your face from laughing.
Adults €50 | Youth (3-12) €27 | u2's Free with discount code: FORKFEST26 | Hysterical Histories Bookings.
Evening Rooftop Food Culture Bus Tour
7.00pm-8.30pm, Fri 14th Aug, Cork City Centre
Experience Cork’s rich food heritage from a stunning rooftop vantage point on an exclusive evening Cork City Sightseeing Tour. Discover the fascinating story of the city’s culinary traditions with renowned UCC food historian Regina Sexton. The evening concludes with a short guided walk through the Coal Quay (Cornmarket Street), long celebrated for its vibrant street trading culture.
€28 | Evening Food Culture Bus Cork City Tours.
*Please note booking fees may apply on some events