Dublin’s Food and Drink Festivals

Dublin might be better known for beer than gourmet cuisine, but there are still plenty of fun events to entice foodies to the Irish capital. Here are five of Dublin’s food and drink festivals to add to your diary.

1. Taste of Dublin

With cooking demonstrations, tastings and food stalls held over four days, the Taste of Dublin is one of the city’s most anticipated events. Join award-winning chefs, top restaurants and food enthusiasts from all over the world in Dublin’s Iveagh Gardens each June. The hugely popular festival celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2015 and also hosts spin-off events like the Taste of Mexico festival in November.

2. Dine in Dublin

The best time to tour Dublin’s top restaurants is during the annual Dine in Dublin festival, a week-long extravaganza that takes place each February. As well as food pavilions, street food markets and food and wine tastings, restaurants around the city offer exclusive dishes, tasting menus and chef demonstrations, including some great deals and discounts.

3. Irish Craft Beer Festival

From Guinness-fueled St. Patrick’s Day to the Munich-inspired Oktoberfest Dublin, Dublin has its fair share of beer festivals, but for true beer lovers the Irish Craft Beer Festival is the best place to discover the capital’s beer scene. Held each August, the festival serves up a weekend of events, including live music, artisan food stalls, workshops, brewing demonstrations and over 200 Irish beers, ciders, whiskeys and cocktails to sample.

4. Dublin Cocktail Festival

If beer drinking isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other options, from the brand new Dublin Whiskey Fest in February to the Dublin Wine Fest in April. Top of the list, though, is the Dublin Cocktail Festival, which takes place over five days in October and features events, tastings and masterclasses at more than 30 venues around the city. Strap on your festival wristband and you’ll enjoy free entrance, exclusive cocktails and generous discounts at participating venues.

5. Bite Food Festival

Dublin’s newest food festival, the Bite Food Festival, kicked off in November 2015 with a focus on homegrown produce and artisan foods. Top chef demonstrations, cooking classes, wine and beer tastings, a food bloggers’ stage and interactive food challenges are all part of the line-up, and there’s an enormous range of Irish foods and drinks to sample or buy.

Read more about what to eat in Dublin.

– Zoe Smith

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