Local poet Gareth Hanlon is “Bard Out of His Mind” and a regular spoken word performer in Kilkenny City and at various music festivals throughout Ireland. The tour begins at the parade Tower Kilkenny, travels through the Castle Grounds, idles along the banks of the river Nore and culminates in the Hole In The Wall tavern! “A fantastically enjoyable tour that’s not to be missed”. This event is €15 and can be booked through www.poetrek.com or by calling 0858830071.

Spoken Word. Fiction, memoir, laughs, lament. Stories shared by local writers Siobhan Hoy, Helena Duggan, and friends. After a great success in 2018, these two writers take to the stage again to share stories in the round that will have you laughing, and crying, and maybe even singing along!

This event is free, no need to book a ticket, just pop along!

Fennelly’s of Callan presents a Summer evening of music and food with Clare Sands and The Market Kitchen on Friday the 9th of August from 7-11pm.
€25 admission includes a housemade welcome drink, the gorgeous gig and a delicious dish from the famous Market Kitchen girls!
Irish musician Clare Sands and her motley band fuse trad, jazz, funk and soul playing high energy sold out shows to audiences from Cork to Cologne. Be ready to move your body!
Courtyard gig, hope for fine weather but dress appropriately. It going to be a sweet evening!

A night of comedy, music, and poetry by the women of Kilkenny, to raise money for local women’s charities. Please join us for our third edition of this wonderful event hosted by Sandrine Dunlop & Niamh Moroney. Women Together features top class comedians, poets, and gifted musicians to create a night of beautiful intimate entertainment. All Women on stage but all genders welcome to come join in the fun! Entry €5 on the door.

Swallow your words! You are invited to join us to share or to simply enjoy some poetry in the relaxing space of the Involvement centre on the Saturday 10th of August from 2 to 4pm. We will serve some tasty cakes during the break! This is a free event. For any details please contact Sandrine Dunlop at 0857632664 or Deirdre Beale at 0858185111

The hit comedy night Insecure & Dangereux comes to Ireland for the very first time! Established in Brussels, Belgium in October 2018, this show has become an over night success selling out in Europe’s Capital! Bringing you a mix of Irish & International comedians for one night only, this show promises to have you falling out of your chair with laughter (and possibly a dash of despair.) Bring in your hands to clap while you look, listen, laugh, and maybe even lunge at some brand new up & coming comedy talent. Tickets on eventbrite.ie and also on the door. Entry €5, sure jaysus where would ya be going?

We are having a climate rebellion, and it may topple governments, close coal mines, and build more windmills, but then what? Is there a realistic plan to deal with the underlying systemic problem, or are we just kidding ourselves?” Albert Bates, prolific author of 19 books, including Climate in Crisis, Burn: Using Fire to Cool the Earth, and Taming Plastic, returns to AKA Fringe to host this conversation in the Town Hall on Monday 12th August.

The Involvement Centre Kilkenny is a peer led centre that provides a safe comforting place for people mental health issues to come together and have a place to come sit have a chat and a cuppa. We also welcome people without mental health issues to our centre as well.We run and facilitate activities around art, drama, music, creative writing, poetry, as well as support groups for people experiencing anxiety, depression and addiction. The reason we would love to participate in in the AKA festival is that we have a lot of creative and very talented people within our centre and it would give them the opportunity to showcase this to the wider community. It would give people a chance to come and see and experience what the Involvement Centre and the talent that our members have to offer.

This is a free, open event. Please feel free to drop by any time during the day!

The Alternative Kilkenny Arts Festival presents a showcase of young artists emerging in Kilkenny. The features readings from young poets and writers, theatre and musical artists. All of the acts are under 18 and in between exams have managed to create some wonderful art that we are delighted provided a platform to showcase their work and talent in a way not usually available to them. This is an alcohol-free event and aimed primarily at young people (13-18) so it may be loud, but it will definitely be fun.