Fáilte Ireland has welcomed thousands of visitors to locations across the country for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
Festivals and events play a key role in delivering brilliant experiences, providing a unique reason for visitors to choose a destination and increase footfall for local businesses, supporting jobs and revenue generation. Fáilte Ireland estimates that last year 589,000 people attended the Saint Patrick’s Festival Dublin over the three days of the bank holiday weekend generating €138m in revenue from visitors.
Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke T.D. said:
“The St. Patrick’s Festival represents a major opportunity to highlight Ireland on the global stage. It is one of our most recognisable national events and signals the start of the traditional tourism season, when visitors from near and far come to enjoy our culture, creativity and warm hospitality.
“The 2026 Festival programme honours our national heritage through a vibrant mix of traditional and modern Irish culture. It supports local communities, artists and the tourism and hospitality sectors, while also generating valuable economic benefits for tourism SMEs throughout the county.”
Caroline Bocquel, CEO of Fáilte Ireland said:
“St. Patrick’s Day is a significant cultural moment in Ireland’s tourism calendar, andwe’re so pleased to welcome thousands of domestic and international visitors to celebrate Ireland’s heritage, shared story and that céad mile fáilte we’re famous for.
“With an exciting programme of events across four days, this festival showcases the very best of Irish culture, entertainment and creativity, while delivering important economic benefits for tourism businesses and communities nationwide.
“The celebrations not only bring people into our cities, towns and villages, they also shine an international spotlight on Ireland as a must visit destination. Through Fáilte Ireland’s support for St. Patrick’s Festival Dublin and regional events nationwide, we are helping to create compelling visitor experiences that inspire people to come to Ireland and explore all we have to offer.”
In addition to our national celebration of St Patrick’s Festival in Dublin, Fáilte Ireland also supports regional St Patrick’s Day festivals that are key drivers of tourism in Cork, Kilkenny, Killarney, Limerick, Sligo, and Waterford.
St Patrick’s Day celebrations help to showcase Ireland as a fantastic tourist destination to people around the world so Fáilte Ireland is also giving a Céad Míle Fáilte – a hundred thousand welcomes – to 60 global print, broadcast and online media with a combined audience reach of 155 million that have travelled to Ireland this week to write, film, interview or post about Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day.
They will also capture the many unique attractions and visitor experiences across the country that bring our history, heritage and culture to life.
Hosted by Fáilte Ireland in conjunction with Tourism Ireland, the international media have travelled from Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Great Britain, USA, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, Italy, France, and Sweden.
Central to St Patrick’s Day celebrations this year will also be 14 international marching bands who have travelled to Ireland to join the festivities.
