Do parkrun numbers in Cork City drop during the summer holidays???

I have heard it said more than once that if the numbers were down at a 5k parkrun in Cork City during the summer months then it was because people were away on holidays.

At first, it seems plausible. A lot of people go on holidays in July and August so the numbers might drop.

Is it true though? Let's have a look, I plotted the numbers for the Ballincollig, Tramore Valley and Glen River events from the start of March to the end of September 2025. 

If the theory was true then we should see a noticeable dip during July and August.

First up, here's Ballincollig...

There is some variation in numbers from week to week and this is often due to the weather like the very wet Saturday on the 30th of August. If there's a dip in numbers due to the summer holidays then it's very small.

Tramore Valley Park is the second largest event in Cork City...

There is no big drop in July and August. If anything, the numbers in August are up a bit and this may be due to an influx of tourists visiting the city.

The Glen River parkrun is the smallest of the city parkruns...

Again, there's no summer dip and there is a bit of a peak in July which again may be due to tourists.

It's probably likely that visitors to the city are more likely to do Tramore Valley Park and the Glen River events which are closer to the city centre. Ballincollig by contrast is on the western outskirts of Cork City and a bit harder for tourists to get to.

Conclusion... There is no evidence to support the theory that numbers in Cork City drop during the summer months. If anything, there might be a small boost due to tourists visiting the city.