Data shows 574,579 people in Cork last year for city’s 26 festivals

Footfall of 574,579 was recorded in Cork last year for the city’s 26 festivals, new data has shown.

Details provided to Labour councillor Peter Horgan at Monday’s council meeting showed a cumulative 574,579 in footfall last year as a result of 26 festivals and events.

The total includes 185,000 for Corkmas; 48,643 for the St Patrick’s Festival; 27,076 for Culture Night; 36,000 for the Cork City Marathon; and 17,000 for Cork on a Fork, as well as a cumulative 11,188 across the seven ‘non-fire’ nights.

There were further footfall increases from events not organised by the council. These included 80,572 for Cork Midsummer Festival; 34,849 for the Cork International Choral Festival; and 20,000 for the Cork International Film Festival, the Dragon of Shandon, and Sounds from a Safe Harbour.

Mr Horgan also asked for information on economic benefits.

Detail

He was told, in a written response from Rebecca Loughry, the council’s director of cultural affairs and operations, and from Cormac Ó Súilleabháin, director of corporate, community, and city centre development, that they would look into calculating this in more detail going forward.

The response said: “While the economic value of some of the festivals can be estimated — for example, the Cork City Marathon is estimated at €5m per annum, based on a study that was undertaken at a similar event in Limerick — data in relation to the economic impact from funded festivals is not captured specifically.

“Feedback from the CBA and Cork Chamber of Commerce can give an indication of economic value, but a specific tool is not currently in place to gather this information. A review of same will be undertaken with key stakeholders with a view to establishing a process for gathering economic value.”

Mr Horgan told The Echo: “A major part of our budgets, since 2024, has been enhancing the footfall of the city to support all businesses, and festivals are a key aspect of that.

“I really welcome that steps are under way to measure the economic benefit to the city, while the figure we have is that only 8% of the footfall delivered €7m.

“I’ll continue to work with my Labour Party colleagues to deliver budgets in this council term that deliver for the city and our communities.”