Kilkenny Arts Festival
Kilkenny | Until 16th August, 2026

Kilkenny Arts Festival heads into its final weekend with more music, theatre, performances, exhibitions and family entertainment across the city.

Families can enjoy StormFest at the Old Bank on The Parade, with The Fisher and His Wife and Penny and the Far Thing running throughout the weekend. There are also free Secret Garden Music performances, while Light Up the Castle: Rift brings a spectacular audio-visual show to the walls of Kilkenny Castle on Friday and Saturday night.

Summer of Robotics
Dublin | Until 30th August, 2026

Explorium’s Summer of Robotics brings robots, coding and hands-on science to Science Alive this August. Families can meet new robots, watch live demonstrations, see the Robo Dogs in action and explore workshops featuring robotic creations, electronics and an introduction to coding. Summer of Robotics and Mission Curiosity activities are included with a regular Science ticket. Explorium Junior will also feature creative hands-on robot activities throughout the summer, with a separate Junior ticket required.

The Big Grill
Dublin | 13th - 16th August, 2026

Big Grill Festival returns to Herbert Park this weekend with four days of live-fire cooking, barbecue, street food, cooking demonstrations and live music. Visitors can sample dishes from leading chefs, pitmasters and restaurants, alongside craft drinks, tasting sessions and plenty of entertainment.

Families can also enjoy the Little Grillers area, with children’s cooking demonstrations, arts and crafts, puppet theatre, circus skills, face painting, sensory play, music workshops and hands-on activities throughout the weekend.

Bubble Brunch
Dublin | 16th August, 2026

Bubble-licious Brunch returns to Kidspace Rathfarnham with a morning of bubble magic, interactive play, music and dancing for children aged up to eight. BubbleEire will perform a 60-minute show featuring bubble tricks, smoke bubbles and the chance for every child to step inside a giant bubble. The morning also includes a sweet pancake brunch for children and plenty of active playtime, with the event running from 10am to 12 noon. Book Now

The Barretstown Big Picnic
Kildare | 16th August, 2026

The Barretstown Big Picnic returns this Sunday with a packed family day out featuring canoeing, archery, horse riding, mini golf, giant games, face painting, dancing, food stalls and live entertainment across the Barretstown campus. Fossett’s Circus will also perform three shows during the day, with separate advance tickets required for the circus performances.

Tullow Show
Offaly | 16th August, 2026

Tullow Agricultural Show returns this Sunday with a packed celebration of farming, food and rural life. Visitors can enjoy livestock and equestrian competitions, vintage and farm machinery, craft exhibitions, trade and food stands, live music, dancing and cookery demonstrations. There is plenty for families too, with children’s entertainment and activities throughout the day, making it one of County Carlow’s biggest summer shows.

National Heritage Week
Ireland | 15th - 23rd August, 2026

National Heritage Week gets underway this weekend with hundreds of events celebrating Ireland’s natural, cultural and built heritage. Families can enjoy guided walks, historical tours, storytelling, craft demonstrations, archaeology events, wildlife experiences and hands-on workshops at locations across the country.

This year’s theme is Heritage at Risk, with many events free to attend and a packed programme continuing throughout the week.