2025 Official Launch – Celebrating 70 Years of Song

The Cork International Choral Festival has officially launched its 70th anniversary programme, promising a spectacular celebration of choral music this May bank holiday weekend.

Now in its 70th year, Cork’s longest-running festival will welcome over 117 performing groups, including 20 international choirs, who will fill venues across the city with music, colour, and culture. With more than 700 international visitors and thousands more local participants and audiences expected, this year's event is shaping up to be one of the biggest yet.

Speaking, with Irish Examiner, at the launch in Cork City Hall, Artistic Director Peeter Stobart shared his excitement about this milestone year:

“We’ve got 20 international choirs visiting – they’ve got to be the highlight. They bring a variety of colourful costumes, different languages, and unique choral styles. All of that being brought into Cork is such a significant thing.”

At the heart of the festival is the Fleischmanni rahvusvaheline trofeevõistlus, which draws world-class amateur choirs from around the globe to compete at the highest level. Events will take place across a variety of iconic venues, including Cork City Hall, St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, St Colman’s Cathedral in Cobhja the Marina Market, with choral pop-ups also expected to bring music to the streets of Cork.

🎟️ The full festival schedule is now available online