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This year we are lucky to be able to celebrate St. Patrick with a 3 day bank holiday weekend; a perfect opportunity to take a mini-break after the long winter days. It is time to dust off the caravans and motorhomes and make plans for the weekend. Many caravan & camping parks will be opening their gates for the season ahead in time for St. Patrick’s weekend. Check out the opening dates for all your favourite sites by clicking here
St. Patrick’s Day is more than just a day – it’s a full weekend of festivities and events filled with culture, music and parades. Whether you’re looking for parades, traditional music, or a quiet cultural experience, there’s something for everyone. Here are some of the best things to do over St. Patrick’s weekend:
- Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Festival: A Must-See Spectacle
Dublin hosts one of the largest and most vibrant St. Patrick’s Festivals, with celebrations stretching over several days. The highlight is the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, featuring colorful floats, marching bands from around the world, and stunning performances. Beyond the parade, the festival includes street performances, live music, cultural events, and a funfair at Merrion Square.
The St. Patrick’s Festival Treasure Hunt will mark the opening of St. Patrick’s Festival 2025. Unlock the city as you navigate the exciting trail, visit some of Dublin’s beautiful, historical locations and solve clues in this urban, participatory event. The hunt is suitable for ALL ages and returns to the streets on Saturday March 15th
The Céilí Mór is a free large-scale outdoor, bilingual, participative event which celebrates traditional Irish dance, language and music and takes place on Merrion Square West. Learn the steps, enjoy the live music and soak up the atmosphere.
Book into one of the caravan & camping parks in Dublin or Wicklow for the weekend and take the Bus, Luas or Dart into the city to experience the thrills and excitement of this great festival.
- Celebrate St. Patrick’s Weekend in the City of Tribes – Galway
St Patrick’s Day parade in 2025 will be the largest St Patrick’s Day spectacle the city has ever seen. A series of events over the course of the bank holiday weekend have been organized. The Festival Village is central hub in Eyre Square and will be the heart of the festival, featuring three days of free outdoor concerts and entertainment. Saturday will highlight indie music, Sunday will focus on family-friendly activities with circus performances and young bands, and Monday will feature traditional Irish music and upbeat performances following the parade.
On Saturday, don’t miss the return of Galway Head of the River rowing event. Rowing clubs from all over Ireland converge to take part in the long distance rowing race from Lough Corrib all the way to Woodquay in Galway City.
On Sunday morning, the Galway Sports Partnership will host family-friendly sports activities in Eyre Square, offering various games and challenges for all ages. Over the course of the weekend Leisureland and Salthill Park will host a Family Fun Day.
Book into one of the many great sites in Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Roscommon and head into Galway City to experience at the great events taking place over the weekend.
- A More Fun Limerick
From March 15th to 17th 2025, discover “A More Fun Limerick” over St. Patrick’s Festival weekend, featuring a variety of events designed to bring smiles to faces of all ages.
The 53rd Limerick International Band Championship which will take place on Sunday, 16 March. The event will see the streets of Limerick filled with the spectacular sight and sound of talented marching band musicians from across Ireland, Europe and America. Cheer on the bands as they march through the city competing to be crowned International Band Champions!
On St. Patrick’s Day 17th March from 11am to 4pm take in the Céilí Mór at Limerick Milk Market followed by an afternoon of live music featuring Mickey Dunne and Friends on Uilleann Pipes. The parade will commence at 12 noon making its way down O’Connell Street before moving on to Henry Street and ending at Arthur’s Quay Park.
Make plans for a few days away at one of the many sites open in Limerick, Clare and Tipperary and take a trip into Limerick City over the weekend to experience ‘A more fun Limerick’
- Kilkenny – Big Festival in a small city
Enjoy several days of festival fun, March 14th – 17th, with American Marching Bands, Street Entertainment, Funfair, Festival Market, Children’s Shows, Workshops, Live Music, Kilkenny Tradfest music festival, special events and of course the St. Patrick’s Day Parade! The 2025 Parade theme is Bí Beo, Bí Linn.
Kilkenny Trad Festival also takes place over the weekend. The programme is packed full of both trad legends and young blood. See Sharon Shannon perform and Aoife Scott, take in the CéilÍ Mór or enjoy the Kilfenora Céilí Band live. Just a small sample of the many great acts taking place over the weekend in Kilkenny.
So whether you are staying in Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford or Tipperary take a trip to Kilkenny over the weekend for some great performances and music.
- Cork St. Patrick’s weekend festivities – Building a Better World
Cork St. Patrick’s Festival 2025 runs from 14 to 17 March and celebrates music, culture and tradition in style for St Patrick’s Day. A highlight of the weekend, a Céilí Mór will take place in the historic City Hall on Sunday 16 March at 3pm. This is a FREE event. Coffee House Lates will take place in the city on Friday 14th March. 11 Coffee shops will stay open late in the evening, offering a variety of different activities from tarot reading, coffee mocktails, comedy nights to Arts & Crafts.
The Cork St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2025 has chosen Building A Better World as its theme. The Parade features members of communities from all walks of life across the city – sporting groups to dance schools, new communities, our long-established brass bands, and special guests from around the world.
On Sunday March 16th at 2pm 12,000 multi-coloured balls will race down Patrick’s in aid of Cork Life Centre. Each ball is individually numbered and released from a cage at the top of Patrick’s Hill and gathered in a trap at the bottom of the hill – first 6 balls win a prize.
At Elizabeth Fort some sneaky snakes will be hiding – can you find them? Armed with a special map, explore the Fort to find all the hidden snakes. This activity is a self-guided hunt, perfect for young explorers and families.
Pitch up for the weekend at one of the sites open in Cork and take a trip into Cork City to enjoy all the great events taking place.
- Waterford – Saints & Scholars
The theme for this year’s festival in Waterford City is Saints & Scholars – A Celebration of Waterford’s rich heritage and will be marked by parades, performances, carnivals and music right through the Bank Holiday weekend. Three live music stages, a spectacular fire show, fascinating local history events, plenty of art, culture and four days full of family fun activities.
On March 15th, fire performers, musicians and singers including Scáthach & Booley House will take over the streets of Waterford to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. This breathtaking spectacle will move through city centre streets with a procession of fire, leading to an unforgettable finale with Irish dance, music and incredible spectacle in John Robert’s Sq.
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Monday will commence at 1pm and travel through the Waterford streets.
- St. Patrick’s Festival – Killarney
St Patrick’s Festival Killarney is a celebration of our culture and heritage, and it heralds the start of the tourist season. The festival will run over five days and is jam-packed with entertainment for everyone, kicking off on Thursday 13th March with ‘An Evening of Artistic Performance with West End House School of Arts.
This year they are celebrating Echoes of Killarney Present as the theme for the St Patricks Day Parade on March 17th to highlight Killarney as it is in the present day. A highlight of this year’s festival is Ablefest which takes place on Sunday. This one-day festival celebrates inclusivity and brings attention to the importance of creating spaces where everyone can thrive. An array of engaging activities will be on offer include yoga, an interactive drumming workshop, arts session, animal roadshow, dedicated sensory friendly zone and food stalls to name but a few. Families are invited from all over Ireland to join in this unique celebration.
Kerry has some much to offer all the family and some top caravan & camping parks in Killarney and throughout the county. Book a few nights in Kerry and experience the joys of the Kingdom.
- Armagh – The Home of St. Patarick
Armagh City is the “Home of St Patrick,” the place where Patrick began his mission.
The St. Patrick’s Festival programme runs from Sunday 9th March to Monday 17th March and offers a thrilling showcase of history, culture, traditional music, dance and plenty of good food. One of the highlights is the Vigil Walk which takes place between the two St Patrick’s Cathedrals, the only city in the world to have the honour of having two Cathedrals that share the same name. The exciting programme for 2025 includes an Irish Whiskey Masterclass, a talk in the Armagh Robinson Library “Oscar Wilde “Work is a curse of the drinking classes” JigJazz, contemporary Irish dance show, Dawn Light at Navan Centre and Fort, SYSTR, featuring daughters of the celebrated Irish performer Michael McGlynn in concert at St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral, Malachy Cush and performers at St Patrick’s RC Cathedral and St Patrick’s Shindig in Market Square Armagh.
- Belfast St Patrick’s Music Festival
Presenting a programme of traditional arts encompassing a diverse, cross cultural and cross traditions celebration in honour of St Patrick, The range of events celebrate the very best of our traditional arts and include concerts, céilís, displays, taster sessions, workshops, outdoor music stages and more.
Check out some of the top quality caravan & camping sites in Northern Ireland to pitch up for a few days over the weekend and celebrate St. Patrick in his home town.
So wherever you plan on visiting you will be assured of loads of great events and celebrations taking place. Check out Camping Ireland for loads of great ideas on sites to pitch up over the weekend.
Camping Ireland has so much information to help you plan your caravan & camping trip away. The new website is very user-friendly and has a number of great features which makes it very easy to navigate. One of the new features is that you can now add filters to your selection. This will allow you to get information on parks that are specific to your needs.
You can now filter for sites as follows:
Camping type – camping, glamping, mobile home hire, etc.
Holiday type – beach holiday, countryside, family-friendly, dog friendly, etc.
Facilities – beach nearby, playground, games room, shop, etc.
County
Region – Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland’s Ancient East, Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands, Dublin or Northern Ireland
Also, many sites are now offering online booking which will help you secure your pitch at the click of a button.
Whatever you want Camping Ireland has something to suit everyone. Enjoy the independence and flexibility that camping in Ireland can offer in quality approved sites. We look forward to welcoming you to Ireland’s outdoor living.
