THIS IS THE second bank holiday in as many weeks but if you don’t have any plans for that extra day off, fear not – we have you covered.

While there’s no guarantee the rain will stay away, there’s plenty on around the country over the next few days to get out, enjoy a bit of sunshine and soak up some culture.

Here are some of the highlights:

Dublin

Shutterstock / Iakov Filimonov Shutterstock / Iakov Filimonov / Iakov Filimonov

One of the biggest dance festivals of the year, Forro Dance Festival, takes place April 26-30.

There are workshops from 1-6pm and a part at Break for the Border, Stephens Green Lower from 9pm tonight and at Buskers Bar in Temple Bar tomorrow night.

For further information, see Forrodublin.ie 

Drogheda

Drogheda Arts Festival Drogheda Arts Festival

Drogheda Arts Festival 2017 will continue until Monday 1 May.

From the performance of Bronte on Sunday, traditional singing on Monday and a 12-foot-high gramophone appearing across the town at various locations – there’s a unique programme covering all art forms to interest a wide audience.

Here’s a full list of all 23 events taking place as part of the Festival.

Wicklow

Bray Jazz Festival is in its 18th year and will have 18 shows taking place from 28-30 April.

Headline acts are will include preformers from four countries in Scandinavia, the United States and the UK.

There will be acts from Switzerland, India and Australia along with talent from Ireland. For more information see Brayjazz.ie.

Wexford

Christopher Hill Christopher Hill

A lighthouse festival on all things maritime gets underway at the world’s oldest intact working Lighthouse on the Hook Peninsula County Wexford this May bank holiday weekend from 11am on Saturday.

There will be guided tours of the ancient lighthouse and re-enactors from Claoimh will demonstrate life and battles from the medieval past. There will also be a craft market featuring pieces from crafters based all across the southeast region.

For all of the festival details in Wexford see www.hookheritage.ie and for details on the Great Lighthouses of Ireland see www.greatlighthouses.com

Kilkenny

The Kilkenny Roots Festival will see over 40 acts perform is more than 30 venues across the city.

There will be over 90 shows, some ticketed and some free, running from Friday 28 April to Monday 1 May.

For a list of the line up and more information see Kilkennyroots.ie

Galway 

Inishbofin Arts Festival runs from 28 – 30 April and showcases Irish talent and island-based craftspeople and performers.

Finbar Furey will perform on the island this year as will Moycullen soprano Aimee Banks and author Lisa Carey.

For information about tickets, check out Inishbofin.ie.

Limerick 

WeAreTrueMedia WeAreTrueMedia

Riverfest 2017 will runs from 28 April – 1 May.

From fashion shows, fireworks and fun runs to comedy, music and food. The festival offers a wide range of activities for more than just the watersport enthusiasts among us.

For more information see Riverfest.ie.

Cork

The five day Cork International Choral Festival will continue into Sunday 30 April.

Choirs from across the world will perform with 5,000 voices and 120 performances to take place this year in 80 venues across the city.

For information about tickets see corkchoral.ie.

Are there some good events on in your area this weekend? Let us know in the comments below…

Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can make sure we can keep reliable, meaningful news open to everyone regardless of their ability to pay.

Support us Learn More