Free Family Fun at Cork Midsummer Festival

Cork Midsummer Festival is bigger and brighter than ever with a kaleidoscope of FREE events for families taking place from 13 - 23 June.

The 11-day festival will run an extraordinary variety of activities for the whole family, suitable for all age groups, with music, circus, dance, arts and crafts workshops, high-flying performances and spectacular science. Listings for families wanting to experience something new can be found at www.corkmidsummer.com.

Meet Here-Boy the dog and the Tall Tail gang at Cork Midsummer Festival.

A highlight from one of Ireland’s fastest-growing and most exciting multi-disciplinary arts festivals is the free outdoor bicycle-powered performance of Shakespeare’s The Tempest (18 & 19 June) by all-female troupe The HandleBards at Fitzgerald Park.

One of the most joyful festival attractions will be The Market (15 June), a free market-themed wooden play universe at Emmet Place for children from ages 2-8.

Celebrating National Day of Culture and Creativity for, and by children, Cruinniú na nÓg (15 June) will be at Douglas Community Park with storytelling with Douglas Library Service and music from The Kabin Studio and Music Generation Cork. 

Cork Midsummer Festival Director Lorraine Maye said: “Cork Midsummer Festival is always looking for new audiences, and one of the most important ways we reach out to them is through our family programme. For us, it’s a chance to inspire people of all ages — to pass on our love of music, dance, and art to families, and to show what arts and cultural experiences can offer audiences of all ages.”

Cork Carnival of Science (22 & 23 June) at Fitzgerald Park features family-friendly experiments intertwining science, engineering and math. This free two-day event is supported by Science Foundation Ireland, Cork City Council and Old Cork Waterworks Experience, with event co-ordinator Lifetime Lab.

In theatre, BrokenCrow Theatre Company’s Miss Happiness and Miss Flower will be held at selected dates in various libraries across Cork city. Tickets are free but booking is essential at www.corkmidsummer.com.

With a series of early years arts play experiences for parents and toddlers aged 0-3 years, BEAG is at Graffiti Theatre in Blackpool (15 June) and led by artists from the worlds of dance, music, visual art and performance.   

Arts, Activism, and the Environment (15 June) from Bodies of Water and Perforum at The Glucksman is a free outdoor arts-based family friendly event, which includes Global Water Dances, an international project that raises awareness about water issues through dance and community, along with open talks and workshops. 

The free high-level circus skills performance, MOSH SPLIT, with Finnish circus group SISUS, to take place at Elizabeth Fort (15 & 16 June) is now sold out.

In total, over 45 events will take place in 30 venues across the city during Cork Midsummer Festival from 13 – 23 June, with the 11 days of theatre, literature, dance, circus and visual art to include 25 world, European and Irish premieres. 

Cork Midsummer Festival is proudly supported by the Arts Council, Cork City Council, Fáilte Ireland and by media partners RTÉ Cork, the Irish Examiner, 96FM and C103, and RTÉ Supporting the Arts. Tickets are available at www.corkmidsummer.com.