April Festivals and Events
The heart of Cork City Centre will be buzzing again this weekend as the Open Streets Festival kicks off its 2026 programme with a lively Family Fun Day on Maylor Street. The event takes place on Saturday, March 28, from 1pm to 3pm, offering an afternoon packed with activity, entertainment, and an inviting atmosphere for families of all ages.
Following the success of nine Open Streets events last year, this weekend marks the first instalment of the new season. Maylor Street will be transformed into a traffic-free space where families can take part in outdoor games and enjoy a variety of unique in-store experiences. As always, attendees are encouraged to walk, cycle, or use public transport, supporting the festival’s aim of creating more people-friendly city spaces.
In addition to family-focused fun, Cork Business Association in partnership with a number of retailers have brought exclusive offerings for the day from discounts, to handscrubs, to live music and even a visit from Percy Pig! Come into the city and enjoy the offers. Participating businesses include:
- Tommy Hilfiger
- Marks & Spencer
- Penney’s
- Skechers
- Michel Jewellers
- Kilkenny Design
- Greenwich
- Bath & Body Works
- The Old Oak
Face painting, garden games, magic shows, ice cream and make and do are just some of the activities on offer on Friday April 3rd (Good Friday) at Old Cork Waterworks Experience during the Easter Egg Challenge to support Bishopstown Primary Schools.
A fantastic family fun day out is guaranteed as children undertake a treasure hunt to solve clues on the way to finding a secret egg depot. The Easter Bunny has left an egg for everyone who completes the challenge and will bring friends to entertain on the day.
Old Cork Waterworks Experience and Bishopstown & District Lions Club partner for the event with all proceeds going directly to local primary schools in the Bishopstown area. Mervyn Horgan manager stated “We are delighted to be able to give back to the local schools which have always shown great support to us through our education programs, last year almost 900 Easter eggs were handed out and we have lots of different activities that will suit all age groups. Local children’s entertainers are volunteering their time, every child gets an Easter egg and local schools benefit financially”
The event now in its 15th year has so far raised over €100,000 which is donated to primary schools in the Glasheen, Ballinora, Curraheen, Farran and Bishopstown areas. Jim O’Connor President of Bishopstown and Area Lion’s Club said “We are delighted to partner with this wonderful attraction to raise funds for local schools in the area and extend our thanks to all our volunteers for making the event possible this year”
The Easter egg challenge will run from 10.00am - 4.00pm on Good Friday April 3rd tickets are available online at www.corkcity.ie/en/old-cork-waterworks-experience/ and participating schools, priced at €5 per child with adults free.
For further information, contact the team at Old Cork Waterworks at: 021-4941500, email oldcorkwaterworks@corkcity.ie or visit www.corkcity.ie/en/old-cork-waterworks-experience/
Easter Trail
Enjoy a free Easter trail booklet throughout the Easter holidays and discover the museum in a whole new way! We have seven objects we want you to find in the museum, find all seven and you'll get a stamp and sticker for your booklet!
Crafternoon at Cork Public Museum
Join us on Saturday 11th April from 12.30-1.30pm for a special Crafternoon at the museum with Easter themed arts and crats inspired by our collection.
Please reserve your spot by emailing museum@corkcity.ie
Children must be supervised by parent or guardian.
An exciting programme of Gala Concerts, National and international competitions and internationally renowned performances as thousands of participants bring the city to life for five days of wonderful choral music.
The Cork Choral Festival takes part from Monday 27 April to Sunday 3 May.
More information can be found on https://www.corkchoral.ie/
