Kia Ireland will return as the official electric vehicle partner of the St. Patrick’s Festival for 2024.
Building on the success of the past two years, Kia is collaborating with bespoke pageant building specialists Bui Bolg, who will produce four dedicated parade sections, consisting of five floats on its behalf.
These floats, which have been commissioned by more than 10 artists and makers in line with Kia’s electrification and sustainability strategy, will convey the brand’s ambition to become a sustainable mobility solutions provider.
Kia will support this year’s festival with its full fleet of electric vehicles including the new EV9, EV6 and Niro EV, which will assist the celebrations of arts, culture, and heritage around Dublin City from 15th–18th March.
In addition, 60 performers will interact and delight audiences on the route while the overall performance will be choreographed by four different performing arts groups.
This association will also feature a vehicle display area at the Festival Quarter in Collins Barracks, National Museum of Decorative Arts, which will remain in place for the duration of the festival.
This display will highlight Kia’s sustainability strategy and shine a light on the use of recycled materials in vehicle production, and also, their journey towards carbon neutrality.
Together with Native Events, they’re creating an installation entirely made from recyclable materials and powered with solar paneled batteries, allowing audiences to witness firsthand the recycled materials gathered and then incorporated into Kia’s EV9.
Cathal Kealey, head of marketing and PR at Kia Ireland commented: “Apart from being one of Ireland’s leading electric vehicle brands, we have made a commitment to sustainability by placing it at the core of our business strategy.
“As more and more Irish drivers switch to electric vehicles, we are always looking for ways to inform the public about such strategies.
“By 2030, Kia will have 20 per cent of all vehicle plastics coming from recycled materials. Our EV9, which will lead our parade pageant, uses 10 specifically sourced sustainable items in vehicle production that have either originated from recycled plastic, or have been sourced from plant-based materials.
“These materials will be used in all future Kia models also, so it’s an exciting time for our brand, and we are delighted to share this story with parade goers on the streets of Dublin, those tuning in on television our visiting our Festival Quarter activation.”
