Basant Festival Returns to Carrigaline: A Celebration of Colour, Culture, and Community

Carrigaline will once again come alive with the sights and sounds of South Asia as the Basant Kite Flying Festival returns for its fourth annual celebration from 27th to 29th June 2025.

What began as a one day small community gathering has grown into a major cultural event, rooted in the centuries-old South Asian tradition of Basant, a springtime festival that fills the skies with vibrant kites and honours the spirit of renewal and joy. In the fields of the Indian subcontinent, this time of year is marked by blooming mustard flowers and joyful communities dressed in yellow—symbols of energy, sunshine, and hope.

This year, the festival stretches across both Cork County and Cork City, offering an expanded programme that reflects Ireland’s rich and growing cultural diversity.

At the heart of the celebration is Carrigaline, where families, artists, and community members will gather for a day of festivities on Sunday, 29th June. Visitors can expect an immersive cultural experience featuring kite flying, kite-making workshops, traditional South Asian attire showcases, lively dance performances, live Punjabi drumming (Dhol), art displays, food stalls, and the much-loved Mango Party—a joyful highlight of the festival.

Surrounding events include a screening of the popular Pakistani film Legend of Maula Jatt at Triskel Arts Centre, and a travelling exhibition of South Asian art in Ireland, opening at Carrigaline Library (27 June–18 July) before continuing at Cork City Library (22 July–22 August). Featured artists include Iqra Iqbal, Hina Khan, Aditya Labhe, Antonio D'Souza, and Amna Walayat, who is also the festival’s founder and artistic director.

Led by Walayat, a visual artist and UCC alumna, and delivered in support with Sample Studios, Basant Festival 2025 is a community-based, non-profit event that celebrates South Asian cultural identity in Ireland, bridging generations and backgrounds through creativity, inclusion, and shared joy.

Chief guest Cllr. Patrick Donovan will be representing the Mayor of the County Cork Cllr. Joe Carroll at the event. The festival is proudly supported by the Arts Council, Cork County Council, Creative Ireland, Sample Studios, Rethink Ireland, Community Foundation Ireland, and local partners including Triskel Arts Centre and Cork City Library.

All events are free and open to the public, but advance booking is recommended at corkbasant.com. Attendees are encouraged to wear yellow, the colour of Basant and the spirit of spring.