Kerry County Council is inviting applications from festivals in Kerry for funding which has been provided by Fáilte Ireland under the Festivals and Participative Events Fund for 2022.

Funding of €75,000 is being provided to Kerry events for this year.

Festivals are an integral part of what Kerry offers as a destination and afford an opportunity for local people to attract increased visitors and revenue into their communities, often outside of the traditional peak tourism season. They provide opportunities to showcase culture, people and places, and greatly enhance the visitor experience.

The funding scheme will support festivals and events that will drive domestic tourism and help to improve the visitor experience. To be considered for funding under the programme, the following applies:

Events must have a minimum expenditure of €10,000.
Festivals must generate a minimum of 500 visitor or tourist bed nights in paid accommodation.
Other participative events must generate a minimum of 800 visitor or tourist bed nights in paid accommodation.

The key objectives of the fund are to attract and develop domestic and international visitors in the shoulder season; to increase bed-nights and benefit the local economy; and to raise awareness of the region internationally. Eligible costs which may be funded include marketing activity, programming of events, and development activities such as training and feasibility studies.

Application forms and the programme guidelines are available to download at www.kerrycoco.ie/tourism/ and queries can emailed to TourismOffice@kerrycoco.ie.

Applications must be submitted by Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Further information is available from the Tourism Unit at 066 7183591.