Tens of thousands of people are expected to arrive in Athy, Co Kildare, this weekend for the town's annual water festival, which will celebrate the cultures of Ireland and South Africa.
"The South African market is going to be colossal," said festival spokeswoman Vivian Cummins.
"This is the first time that such an assembly of South African food, wine, crafts and artwork, music and dance has been attempted on this scale in Ireland. We have over 30 stalls booked and we are expecting a lot of South African people as there are 30,000 ex-pats living in Ireland."
A replica Viking longboat from the Ardglass Viking Association in Co Down is heading south to join the Leinster Re-enactment Society and the Harlech Mediaeval Society from Wales.
A Viking living history village, weapons, combat talks and displays will be on show throughout the weekend.
Twenty-two barges will make their way to Athy courtesy of the Heritage Boat Association. No commercial boats have operated on the River Barrow since the early 1960s.
Sponsored by Waterways Ireland, the festival is part of its cross-Border co-operation programme.