Get Creative
A great sober activity to give a go is a creative workshop or course where you can learn a new skill. Kilkenny has long been known as a thriving arts hub, so you will find different classes taking place each week to turn your hand to a variety of mediums.
Pour your own candle
Not only do Wired Irish Crafts make amazing handcrafted soy wax candles, but they also lead workshops so that you can create your own! Mix your fragrance, choose your wick and pour the wax so that you can take home your bespoke candle.
Mix your own signature scent
Meet with the fragrance experts at Valley of Roses for an exclusive perfume workshop. They will help you to determine what scent profiles you like the best and assist you in mixing your own signature scent to bottle up and spritz away!
Create a delicious chocolate treat
Step into the chocolate workshop and become Willy Wonka at the Chocolate Garden of Ireland Café Kilkenny. Pour chocolate for tempering, select your perfect flavour combinations and – of course – taste test your creation.
Take an art class
Butler Gallery celebrates living local artists and you can learn techniques from them directly at their workshops. Try a variety of disciplines from painting and sketching to screenprinting and life drawing.
Brush up on your cooking or baking skills
Get a group of friends or colleagues together and add some new recipes to your repertoire with a baking class at Cakeface Pattisseries or a cookery lesson with Edward Hayden. After just a few fun and informative hours, you’ll be able to cook up a storm in your own kitchen. Get those dinner party invites ready!
Learn how to face paint
Those with a flair for makeup are sure to enjoy a face painting course with Fantasy Face Art. They will guide you through the techniques and tools to turn the face as a canvas into a work of art. Pssst…you can also get a discount through our exclusive Kilkenny Gifts You offers – click here for more details!
Get Active
Dig deeper into your wellness journey by adding a new active pursuit to your arsenal. Living alcohol-free may give you a sense of increased energy, so burst into life with these activities that will get you moving!
Exhilarating karting
Put your pedal to the metal at Kiltorcan Raceway for an adrenaline-pumping karting session. Unleash your inner racing driver to zoom around the 1.1km track to put your best time in. Who knows? You may even want to join a karting team right away.
A fun-filled day out
Gather your pals for a huge choice of fun challenges at Kilkenny Activity Centre. Step into a zorbing ball for a hilarious game of bubble football, practice your aim with paintball, test your agility at the assault course or work together to solve the clues to get out of the escape room.
Laser precision
Stealth and accuracy is the aim of the game at Laser Wars. Their outdoor combat zone makes you the sharp-shooter as you aim your lasers at fellow competitors – and avoid getting zapped while doing so!
Sauna and dip at the river
Level up your detox with a sauna session at The Hot Box Graiguenamanagh. Sweat it out in the Finnish sauna with beautiful views over the River Barrow, and brave its cool waters afterwards with a dip in the plunge pool.
Swim and gym
The Watershed is a hive of activity with a swimming pool, fully-equipped leisure centre and pitches for hire for team sports. Combine your new year’s health and fitness resolutions by choosing from their membership options.
A tranquil afternoon of fishing
Take to the river for a relaxing excursion with Trout Fishing Ireland. The fishing trips are instructor-led and regardless of whether you are a budding or experienced angler, a day on the River Nore promises an enjoyable experience surrounded by lush scenery.
Strike!
A rainy day won’t stop your fun – feed your competitive streak at the bowling lanes at K-Bowl Kilkenny. With 10 lanes of 10-pin bowling, learn to line up the perfect throw for an all-important strike. K-Bowl is also home to a large arcade packed with games and a diner serving up pizzas, milkshakes and more to make the most out of your afternoon.
Be Entertained
There is no shortage of live shows in Kilkenny ranging from drama and film screenings to comedy and concerts. Experience something different each week at venues around the county.
Laugh your socks off
They say that laughter is the best medicine, so get ready for an evening of side-splitting laughs at Kilkenny Comedy Club nights. Taking place at The Home Rule Club, a rotating bill of Irish comics take to the stage – giving you the opportunity to see a number of hilarious sets in one night.
Dinner and a show
Watergate Theatre and The Set Theatre welcome a variety of acts to their stages each week, meaning there is always something different on the programme to enjoy. The theatres could play host to some of Ireland’s top music acts one evening, a thought-provoking talk from experts the next! As well as that, Barnstorm Theatre Company are a talented local group of young actors that regularly put on local performances so keep an eye on their programmes.
A night out with a difference
Just because you are no longer reaching for an alcoholic beverage doesn’t mean that you cannot go to the pub anymore. With so many zero alcohol options now being served at pub and bars, you can still enjoy an alcohol-free version of your favourite tipple and soak up the atmosphere with live music, pub quizzes and more. You may find that you enjoy it even more and decide to extend past Dry January!
