Kerry Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest, #KerryMHWFest, will take place from 9th -16th October 2021. This Fest is held every year to highlight World Mental Health Day on 10 October.  

Click here to view and book your place at one of the 60 free events scheduled for #KerryMHWFest 2021!

If you have any additional requirements to facilitate your attendance, we will seek to accommodate where feasibly practical.  Please contact kerrymhwfest20@gmail.com as soon as possible as these services are subject to availability.

The organising committee is a collaboration between Connecting for Life Kerry, Healthy Kerry, Kerry County Council, the HSE, NEWKD, SKDP, Kerry Mental Health Association, Jigsaw Kerry, Munster Technological University/Kerry and the Kerry Volunteer Centre. 

Since the Fest’s beginning in 2018, the key focus has been on creating awareness of, and scheduling events that empower people to engage with the ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’ (Connect | Give | Take Notice | Keep Learning | Be Active) as well as raising awareness of the available supports and services in the county.  

The programme of FREE events for the 2021 Kerry Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest has been launched with a range of activities to suit all ages.  All events are FREE, registration is essential and can be done by contacting the organiser of that event directly or using the registration links provided in the brochure.  

The key focus of the Fest is to promote mental health and wellbeing in Kerry through a fun and interactive programme of online and in-person events.  With over 60 free events taking place across the county, we hope there is something of interest for everyone.  Enjoy!

For general queries, please contact the interagency steering group at: kerrymhwfest20@gmail.com

History of Kerry Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest

Kerry’s first Health and Wellbeing Week was held in October 2018.  This project was collaboratively led by the HSE Cork Kerry Community Healthcare through Connecting for Life, and Kerry County Council through Healthy Kerry.  A dedicated committee of local support services and organisations came together to plan a series of 49 events to celebrate World Mental Health Day, here in Kerry.

There was something for everyone – from runs to walks, arts and craft to indoor bowls, coffee mornings to movie nights, workplace wellbeing to parenting information, mindfulness to volunteering, wellbeing workshops to seminars on grief and loss.  Hundreds of people participated in the events throughout the week and feedback from participants was positive. 

Following the enormous success of the 2018 festival, the interagency committee held a two week long Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest in 2019.  Over 100 events were held across the county!  Around 300 people in total attended these events.  Feedback from the participants was again extremely positive.

Each year, the Fest aims to promote a positive sense of wellbeing and to highlight mental health services and supports which are available to people in need in the county.  Everyone in the county is encouraged to take time out to learn, talk, reflect, and engage with others around the topic of mental health and wellbeing, and to encourage anyone with mental health issues to reach out and avail of supports and services available.  Central to the Fest is the promotion of the Five Ways to Wellbeing.