NEXT DRAGON : 31st OCTOBER 2025
Experience the magic of the Dragon of Shandon, Cork Community Art Link’s spectacular celebration of creativity, tradition, and community spirit. This iconic annual event brings the streets of Cork to life, showcasing giant illuminated floats, larger-than-life puppets, mesmerizing performances, and breathtaking visual art, all crafted with the passion and dedication of local artists, volunteers, and participants. The Dragon of Shandon is more than just a parade; it’s a testament to the power of collaborative art. It embodies the heart of Cork Community Art Link’s mission—creating inclusive opportunities for expression and storytelling. Join us in this awe-inspiring celebration where the city’s creativity and community come together in a dazzling display of artistic wonder.
The Dragon of Shandon began in 2006 as a street parade celebration of Samhain in Cork City and, for over 20 years, has been developed through an extensive outreach and participatory programme that spans several months of workshops with youth groups, community groups and organisations, schools, and voluntary participants. Since its inception, thousands of people have taken to the narrow streets of Shandon to walk with a 36ft long Dragon made entirely of tape, as it travels between worlds in a celebration of the living and the dead.
Cork Community Art Link’s role in this magical story has been to engage, enable, and inspire local communities and groups to take to the streets in a creative celebration of a time between times, build upon existing local traditions and culture, and develop a mystical landscape in which strange and fabulous creatures stalk the North side of Cork City.
The Dragon has now entered the folklore of the City, and Cork Community Art Link is proud to be a part of this collaborative project that has over 25,000 people coming out on to the streets to participate in the clamour and mayhem of this nighttime spectacle. So, if you want to take part or get involved, then get in touch.
Project Workshops
see project gallery photos .
