Cork communities encouraged to get involved in 'Street Feasts' initiative  

Cork is gearing up to host 76 street feasts later this month and organisers are calling on as many people as possible to get involved in the festival atmosphere.

Registrations for Street Feast 2023 will close on Monday in time for the national day of street parties and community celebrations which takes place on Sunday, June 25.

“Get together with your neighbours to share food and enjoy some conversations and camaraderie this summer,” said a promoter.

To date, 76 Cork feasts have been registered and organisers are calling on Cork residents to get involved and meet their neighbours.

Cork City Council is supporting Street Feast Cork 2023.

As part of the national day, a new pilot initiative in Cork called ‘Street Feast Together’ aims to break down the disconnect between local communities and immigrant groups. This project is supported by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth.

In the run-up to June 25, Street Feast is working with three communities across Cork city to empower and give them the right tools and training to host inclusive, vibrant street feasts.

In doing so, the hope is to help build more multicultural and welcoming communities.

The three groups are located in St Luke’s, Togher, and Greenmount, in Cork city.

Founder of Street Feast, Sam Bishop, said previous feasts have been organised in front gardens, on streets and greens, in car parks, laneways, local parks and community centres.

“This is a great opportunity for people to get together with their neighbours and celebrate all that is great about their community.

“We want to encourage as many people as possible to get involved and make this a day to remember,” he continued.

Mr Bishop is advising people to start small and to keep it simple and to get in touch with the Street Feast team for help.

“Street feast hosts are supported in planning their feast, and we have great ideas for overcoming any challenges that might come up,” he said.

Minister of State for Community Development, Integration and Charities Joe O’Brien said the Department of Rural and Community Development is delighted to be the core funder of Street Feast 2023.

“Street Feast enables important connections to be made at community and neighbourhood level.

“It’s not just the day of Street Feast that’s special — in the weeks that follow it we’re sure we’ll see more people getting involved in community projects that they would never have heard about if it wasn’t for attending their local celebration,” he added.

To register to get a free party pack see StreetFeast.ie before Monday, June 19.