New summer festival announced for Killarney

A new summer festival will take place in Killarney from June 28 to July 30.
The Summer in Killarney Festival will feature street parades, outdoor cinema, live bands, and street theatre. The event is timed to run alongside the Killarney Races, the Killarney Regatta, and the Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle.
Festival chair Diarmuid Leen said the event aims to celebrate the town’s hospitality and culture for both locals and visitors.
The festival schedule includes street parades and an outdoor cinema night with a SPIN South West DJ will take place on July 20, and a period drama titled ‘As Far As The Eye Can See’ will be performed in the grounds of Killarney House.
This year’s event features a theme celebrating 250 years of Irish-American cultural links, including a John McCormack musical evening with tenor Gavan Ring.
Most events are free, but organisers recommend booking ahead for the outdoor cinema.
The festival is organised by the Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce, with support from the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Heineken, Kerry County Council’s Community Support Fund 2026, and Fáilte Ireland. Booking details are available on Killarney.ie.

Killarney has maintained its position in the top ten of the latest Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) survey, securing 9th place out of 40 towns and cities surveyed nationwide. The town was officially deemed to be ‘Cleaner than European Norms’.

The accompanying report by An Taisce praised Killarney for delivering a solid performance, noting that there were no heavily littered sites found within the town boundaries.
Several local areas received top marks for maintenance and presentation. Main Street was highlighted as exceptionally well-presented, while Park Road, Muckross Road, and the Knockreer Playground and environs were also singled out for praise. The report noted that the playground area was in very good order across all elements.
However, the inspectors did highlight some areas for improvement. The JYSK site showed slight progress compared to the previous survey but remained classified as moderately littered. The report warned that care must be taken to prevent the location from deteriorating further.
On a national level, IBAL representative Conor Horgan noted that entering the peak tourist season, the country has fewer littered areas than at any time in the past 25 years.
Despite the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), the survey highlighted a national rise in specific waste items. Plastic bottles were found in 19% of all surveyed sites across the country, and drinks cans were present in 22%. The prevalence of coffee cups also reached its highest level since 2023, alongside an increase in cigarette butt litter.