Cork on a Fork food festival returns this August

Cork on a Fork Fest, the Cork City Council-led festival, returns from August 13 to 17, welcoming locals and visitors alike.

The five-day celebration serves up a feast of events that highlight the very best of Cork’s food, and the people behind it. This year’s festival places a spotlight on community and inclusion.

With more than 60% of Ireland’s artisan producers based in the region, the festival champions local produce, culinary traditions, and grassroots movements.

Community-based events include a long table collaboration between 20 local businesses, free community garden feasts, free cooking demos by local chefs, an international tea ceremony with the Cork Migrant Centre, a dinner event with Down Syndrome Cork, and a unique Breaking Bread evening that brings together the many cultures now calling Cork home.

PIG ON A SPIT

Events also include a Goodness Garden Party at Knocknaheeny Community Garden and Pig on a Spit & Craicly Stories at Glenbrook Farm, both on August 13.

The following day, the Down Syndrome Cork Youth Club Dining Experience will see young cooks from the youth club team up with the Cornstore’s head chef Maura Baxter at the popular restaurant.

On August 15, Breaking Bread: A Cultural Connection will bring shared dishes and stories created by members of Cork’s migrant community as well as performances by the Cork Shakespearean Company, with an Evening Rooftop Food Culture Bus Tour on the same day.

A Harvest of Nations at Togher Community Garden, International Tea Ceremony and Cooking Demos at Nano Nagle Place and Farm to Fork Cook-Up at Murphy’s Farm Community Garden will all take place on August 16.

Also on August 16 is a Meet the Makers event for young people with small producers in St Peter's; Preserving the Past, a panel discussion the Irish Examiner’s Joe McNamee and multicultural cooking demos at Emmet Place.

In total, nearly 100 events will take place throughout the city, with some free and others requiring a booking fee.

Festival events also partner with Feed Cork, FoodCloud, and Cork Penny Dinners and the festival includes partners such as Fáilte Ireland, Pure Cork, Cork Airport, Cork Business Association, MTU, the IHF Cork branch, the Irish Examiner, and Cork’s RedFM.