Tickets go on sale today.

A huge table seating 400 diners will be set up in Cork’s VQ this summer as part of the opening night celebrations for this year’s Cork on a Fork festival.

VQ Shared Table, an epicurean extravaganza sponsored by Birra Moretti, will turn MacCurtain Street into an enormous outdoor eatery on Wednesday, August 14th from 3pm until 9.30pm.

Featuring a chef collaboration, delicious sharing plates, drinks, and live music, tickets are priced at €150 per person, including drinks, and go on sale at 9am this morning, Friday, May 24th.

Clair Byrne and Ger Cooke, Heineken Ireland, Katherine Fitzpatrick, The VQ, Alexandre Petit, Trigon Hotels, Orla McAndrew, Pierce Lowney, Brian Murray, Kieran O’Driscoll and Deirdre O’Driscoll from TS Events, along with Nascimento Nunes, Paladar. Photo: Joleen Cronin.

It promises to be one of the hottest tickets of the festival, which returns this year from August 14th-18th throughout Cork City centre, showcasing Cork’s unique food culture and local produce over five days of food, trails, events, talks, demos and festival fun.

The line-up also features An Evening with Ryan O’Sullivan at The River Lee; a four-course tasting menu curated by the US Hell’s Kitchen winner alongside executive head chef Paul Lane and a Cork on a Fork Beerfest including free brewery tours, beer-infused dinners, late-night gigs with beer samplings, and even a beer ice-cream fest.

Main image: Nascimento Nunes, head chef at Paladar; Brian Murray, chef and owner of The Glass Curtain; and Alexandre Petit, group executive chef of Trigon Hotels, at the launch of Cork on a Fork Festival. Photo: Joleen Cronin