May Day, May Day! You can almost taste the summer! We’re coming into that lovely time of year where our calendars begin to fill up with invitations, events and things to look forward to.
May Day is the spring festival which traditionally commemorates fertility and the blossoming of flowers and fruit. Flowers such as marigolds, buttercups and primroses – all yellow in colour are very popular this time of year as they reflect the sun and the summer ahead and are believed to bring good luck. In years gone by these flowers were placed outside peoples homes, on doorsteps and windowsills. In Kerry this tradition can still be seen.
With the May Bank Holiday just around the corner we wanted to put together a list of some of the many events that are happening around County Kerry this Bank Holiday weekend. Whether you are into hiking or rallying, arts, culture music or food there is something for everyone of all ages. For great Bank Holiday Weekend Things to Do in Kerry we have some fantastic ideas for you.
Kerry Camino (Tralee to Dingle)
3 Day Guided walk from Tralee to Dingle starting on Friday 29th April in St. John’s Church, Tralee and finishing in Dingle on the 1st May.
This unique experience follows the footsteps of our ancestors on the old pilgrim route on the Dingle Peninsula.
Details of the walk are as follows:
Day 1: 8 am Registration at St. John’s Church. Begin walking from Tralee to Camp village 9am: 20kms. Highlights include Tralee Town Park, Blennerville Canal, views of Tralee Bay and Fenit Lighthouse, Killelton Oratory and famine village. Options to stay in Camp Village or bus back to Tralee.
Day 2: Walk from Camp Village to Annascaul town : 17kms. Highlights include views of Slieve Mish mountains, crossing Emlagh Bog and Inch Beach. Options to stay in Annascaul or bus back to Tralee.
Day 3: Walk from Annascaul to Dingle : 23kms.Highlights include Minard Storm Beach and Castle, Lispole, and the walk into Dingle town. The walk finishes at St James church in Dingle town (opposite Benners Hotel) where participants will receive your certificate of completion.
Please contact Ingrid at info@kerrycamino.com or click here for further information
The Rally of the Lakes (Killarney)
The Rally of the Lakes (Killarney, Kerry) is getting into gear for the upcoming event taking place over the May Bank Holiday weekend (29th/30th April & 1st May 2022). This event is hosted by Killarney and District Motor Club. The on-road rally event is synonymous with the Lakes of Killarney. Fun for all ages, a great deal of events take place around the town of Killarney and for the car fanatic, a memorable experience. After the huge success of the 2019 event, the Rally of the Lakes is now firmly regarded as the jewel in the crown of Irish rallying. The 2022 event is sure to be the biggest yet following a 2 year absence.
Killarney and District Motor Club, organisers of the upcoming 2022 International Rally of the Lakes have announced details of the event which has attracted a large entry to date.
The 41st edition of the event is a counting round of:
- ‘Acesigns’ Irish Tarmac Rally Championship
- IPS Packaging Southern 4 Championship
- Moriarty’s Centra Kingdom of Kerry Championship
2022 Clerk of the Course is Darren McCormick, who is the first-ever second-generation COC of the rally, has announced a compact, centralised route with stages in close proximity to Killarney town. The two-day International event is sure to attract a large number of spectators to the area in what is set to be the start of the tourism season in Killarney.
The rally will roll into the town centre on Friday evening, with a ceremonial start to take place on Main Street from 7 pm. This family-friendly event is a great chance to see the cars and drivers up close in a safe controlled environment.
For more information on the Rally of the Lakes click here
Tralee Food Festival (Tralee)
Get the stretchy, loose fitting clothes ready, this year marks the 6th annual Tralee Food Festival which promises to be a feast for the eyes, bellies and hearts! This is a fantastic Food Festival in Kerry.
The Tralee Food Festival, Kerry will promote and showcase local producers and food establishments and will provide something for everyone who loves food and fun. With an extensive Taste Trail, Cooking Demos, a bustling food market, live music, entertainment and a food and family day, take it all in and enjoy the Tralee Food Festival 2022.
Tralee Food Festival in Partnership with Calor Ireland and in Collaboration with The Ashe Hotel and Valentia Island Vermouth presents the Official Food Fest opening party At Beats and Birdcages in Lottie’s.
Hosted in the beautiful new Lottie’s event space Beats and Birdcages infuses Food, Music and Drink tastings into a great party night. The exclusive Launch Party of the Tralee Food Festival promises to be a real night to remember!
Tickets are only €20 for 2 including Valentia Island Vermouth tasting, Delicious sharing Birdcage followed by DJ.
As part of this festival, Tralee Food Festival has partnered up with Rural Food Skillnet and The Food Safety Company to deliver 2 workshops on Sustainability in the Hospitality Sector on Friday April 29th.
For further details on these see https://ruralfoodskillnet.com/training/
For more information of Tralee Food Festival visit their Facebook page here
Féile na Bealtaine (Dingle Peninsula)
28th April – 2nd May 2022
Féile na Bealtaine occurs annually throughout the Dingle Peninsula each May Bank Holiday weekend. This great Kerry Festival established itself as a top -ranking voluntary community festival – a reliably high standard, energetic, open festival, welcoming to all that have sympathies with the area and an artistic home to dozens of local performing artists. This Kerry festival invites contributors to push boundaries, exploring new venues, experiments with form and collaboration, while remaining true to the festival’s deep roots in a rural community.
This year this Dingle festival is sliding back into familiarity with live performance, interplay and new experiences. With new commissions from local artists, new experiments with outdoor performances and fresh collaborations between visitors and homegrown talent.
You will be spoilt for choice at this festival with a variety of music, literature, arts and craic. This truly is an amazing festival with something for young and old.
For more information and a full schedule of the many events click here
If you would like your event included in our Discover Kerry Events Guide please let us know by emailing hello@discoverkerry.com