Athlone River Festival returns for bank holiday weekend

The Athlone River Festival will "showcase all the best that the town has to offer" when it takes place over the August Bank Holiday weekend, from this Friday, August 1 to Sunday, August 3.

A convivial atmosphere is likely to be felt in Athlone over the course of the three-day event, which will run in tandem with Féile na Sionainne, with numerous activities planned by the organising committee.

Chairperson of the Athlone River Festival committee, Padraig Hegarty, is hoping to build upon the success of last year's festival as final preparations for this weekend continue.

"We have reinvented the template we used for last year's festival in the hope of building upon its success. There is a 50% increase in the number of activities planned for this year, with events happening across eight zones throughout the town," Padraig stated.

Friday evening's Mythical Ireland Street Parade will set the tone for the festival. In keeping with the river theme, Athlone Boat Club and Baysports will host longboat and kayak races on the Shannon on Saturday afternoon (12-3pm), while Viking Mike will be available to offer his tours and outline the history of the river on Saturday and Sunday.

There will be Viking demonstrations at Athlone Castle at 2.30pm on Saturday and Sunday, and an Enhanced Crois Puppet Show at the Castle at noon, 1pm and 3pm on Saturday.

The Athlone Woollen Mills Markets will dot the Athlone streetscape from Burgess Park to Church Street over the festival's duration, with the Athlone Canal Heritage group also contributing to the schedule with a number of historical walks and talks.

This year's festival has been ten months in the making, with the committee reconvening in October 2024 to discuss plans for the forthcoming bank holiday weekend array of activities.

While Padraig is hoping for good weather conditions during the festival, he said it was most important that locals and visitors to Athlone have a "really enjoyable weekend".

"Three days of sunshine would be obviously welcome, but more importantly we have an opportunity to showcase Athlone and all it has to offer. I recall the river festivals of the 1990s and they were great memories but Athlone has grown so much for the better since those days.

"Now that we have the opportunity to promote our town we should embrace the occasion," Padraig said.

Padraig is grateful for the support given to the organising committee. "I would like to thank our main sponsor Viking Mike who has provided finance for the festival, while Westmeath County Council has also awarded us grant funding for the event. The Manager of Athlone Arts and Tourism, Carmel Duffy, also deserves recognition for her contribution to the festival," Padraig said.

For more on this weekend's events, see Athlone River Festival on Facebook.