ALTERNATIVE KILKENNY ARTS FESTIVAL
6- 16 AUGUST 2026
Welcome to the eleventh edition of the Alternative Kilkenny Arts (AKA) Fringe Festival. This year’s programme celebrates the breadth and diversity of artistic practice across County Kilkenny, bringing together artists working in visual arts, craft, literature, music, and live performance.
Spanning all corners of Kilkenny, including Urlingford, Castlewarren and Thomastown, the festival offers exhibitions and events that showcase the richness of Kilkenny’s cultural landscape. With so much happening across the county, the greatest challenge is often deciding what to attend. We encourage audiences to take their time, explore at their own pace, and support local artists, venues, and communities wherever possible.
We extend our warm congratulations to all arts festivals taking place across the county this August, with special recognition of Thomastown Community Arts Festival and Kilkenny Arts Festival. Together, these events contribute to the vibrant and interconnected cultural ecosystem that sustains and enriches the arts in Kilkenny.
The Alternative Kilkenny Arts Committee
Aoife, Asia, Kevin, Liselott, Oisín, Orla, Shane and Tom
ABOUT US
ALTERNATIVE KILKENNY ARTS FESTIVAL
ABOUT YOU
THANK YOU
A big thank you to all our funders, Kilkenny County Council and Creative Ireland and our sponsors Market Cross and the The Heritage Council who have been amazing in supporting us. A special thank you also goes to all the individual donors and friends of the festival.
The Alternative Kilkenny Arts Festival is run by a team of volunteers who work all year round on making sure the festival happens. We do not charge any fees for artists to participate in the festival and 100% of ticket sales and commissions goes to the artists.
To all our festival partners, the venues that work with us, our volunteers, mentors, our participants, and of course our amazing audiences, we are extremely grateful. AKA has a wonderful vibrant community at its core that has sustained through the past years. Without the continued backing that the people of Kilkenny give us, AKA would not be what it is today: an nine year old festival born out of a love for local arts.
A note from our AKA Ambassador
Tony Strickland
Well hello,
I am thrilled to be returning to Kilkenny to once again take on my role as AKA Festival Ambassador. This will be our most substantial Festival to date and I am looking forward to immersing myself in the many varied aspects of the Arts which will be on offer all over Kilkenny in a broad spectrum of cultural venues. Please do approach me at any time to chat and do follow our Social Media platforms.
Looking forward to it all.
Best regards
Tony