Ireland Food and Drink Festival Guide – March 2020

By Melanie May

Whiskey, cheese and wine, oh my! These are the best food and drink festivals  and events taking place across Ireland during March 2020.

Ireland Food and Drink Festival Guide for March 2020

1st March 2020: Thrive Festival

Location: Convention Centre, Dublin

The Thrive Festival is billed as “the ultimate fitness and wellness experience under one roof”. Expect loads of workshops, talks and demos as well as a marketplace with plenty of healthy food and drink for sale as well as tastings and experiences. Sinéad Delahunty, Jeeny Maltese, Holly White, Daniel Davey, Conor Spacey and Erica Drum are just some of the well-known names giving food-related talks and demos. Tickets from €27.78 each.

11th March 2020: Women and Whiskey Volume II

Location: Café en Seine, Dublin 2

Whiskey fans are in for a treat with the second edition of Café en Seine’s excellent Women and Whiskey event. A fun and frank panel discussions feature women who are leading the charge in the whiskey industry in Ireland. Settle in with a welcome whiskey cocktail created by the Café en Seine team and then enjoy a relaxed and interactive discussion with MC Seaneen Sullivan (Mistresses of Malt, L Mulligans Grocers, L Mulligans Whiskey Shop) about the careers of the panellists and the reason why whiskey is their spirit of choice. Guests will also get the chance to sample a whiskey brought by each of the panellists, throughout the discussion. Tickets are €25 each.

14th March 2020: Meet the Makers

Location: Various locations across Wicklow

This all-day tour, you will get a chance to see behind the scenes of the indigenous Irish food and drinks industry in Co Wicklow. You’ll visit multiple owner-operated producers, meet the makers, have a tour of a heritage house and gardens, visit a farm shop and enjoy a rustic lunch at Killruddery. There’s also a visit and tasting at Wicklow Way Winery, Wicklow Wolf Brewery and Powerscourt Distillery. Tickets for the tour cost €150.

14th to 18th March 2020: Guinness Storehouse St Patrick’s Day Festival

Location: Guinness Storehouse, Dublin

The Guinness Storehouse will be hopping this year with music, craic and pints of the ‘Black Stuff’ but there is also a delicious Irish food experience taking place too. Across the fifth floor in the various eating areas, there will be a special St Patrick’s Day menu of traditional Irish food and Guinness inspired dishes. Adult tickets are priced from €19.50 but if your name is Patrick, Patricia, Patrizia, Patrice, Patsy, Pádraig, or any version of this name, you  can celebrate St Patrick’s Day for free at the Guinness Storehouse.

21st March 2020: Foraging Workshop

Location: Airfield Estate, Dublin

During this half-day workshop, you’ll learn how to explore the native hedgerows to forage for wild plants and food and you’ll make a snack and herbal brew with the items you forage. You’ll also learn about how to sustainably harvest what you find and what to look out for during the different times of the year. Tickets cost €25.

24th to 26th March 2020: IFEX

Location: Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast

The IFEX event showcases the latest food and drink products, catering equipment, interiors, technology and services to the food, retail and hospitality industries. Whilst it isn’t a food festival per se, there are plenty of demos, talks and workshops as well as a ‘Great Taste Market’ with food and drink stalls, ranging from bakery products, tea, coffee and gins and so much more.

31st March 2020: An Evening of Cheese Tasting

Location: Airfield Estate, Dublin

You’ve made it to the end of the month, so time to celebrate with some cheese! Avril, from The Irish School of Cheese, is hosting a farmhouse cheese tasting workshop in Airfield Estate in Dublin. She will present a selection of European farmhouse cheeses and tell you all about the makers and provenance and then, of course, you’ll get to sample the cheese too whilst learning about pairings and recipes. She’ll also give you top tips on buying, cutting and storing cheeses. Tickets are €55 and places are limited.