Festivals in Ireland 2027: Where to Go and When to Book

Festivals in Ireland fill the calendar from January to December, and the busiest weekends land between May and October. From major music weekends and arts festivals to food fairs, literary gatherings and seasonal markets, there is something for every taste, age and budget in every corner of the country.

This guide gives you each festival with its dates, what to expect and how to book, so you pick the right weekend with confidence.

Quick facts for 2027

The biggest festivals in Ireland

Electric Picnic

Electric Picnic runs from 27 to 29 August and is the biggest music and arts weekend in Ireland, with an 80,000 capacity at Stradbally Hall in Co Laois. General tickets for 2027 have no stock left, so official resale is the only route in. 

Transfers open only a week or two before the festival, so no seller can legitimately pass you a ticket earlier. Book beds nearby early, because the whole area fills.

Fleadh Cheoil

The Fleadh Cheoil runs from 1 to 8 August and is the biggest gathering of traditional Irish music. Belfast hosts the 2027 edition with competitions, concerts and pub sessions across the city. Bring pounds sterling, because Belfast sits in Northern Ireland, and book accommodation early for the week.

Galway International Arts Festival

Galway International Arts Festival runs from 12 to 25 July and takes over the city for two weeks with theatre, live music, visual art, street spectacle and talks. Plan several nights, because the programme rewards a longer stay, and book popular shows as soon as the programme opens.

Puck Fair

Puck Fair in Killorglin, Co Kerry, likely runs from 10 to 12 August. It crowns a wild goat as King Puck over three days of live music and street entertainment. It ranks among the oldest and most unusual festivals in Ireland, so go for the atmosphere and the spectacle rather than a fixed programme.

St Patrick’s Festival

St Patrick’s Festival spreads across the country around 17 March. Dublin lists 13 to 17 March 2027, and Kilkenny, Cork and Killarney likely run the same days. Choose a smaller town if you want parades without the capital’s crowds.

Winter and spring festivals

TradFest

TradFest runs from 20 to 24 January and fills Dublin venues with traditional Irish music. Past editions use places such as Malahide Castle, St Patrick’s Cathedral and the GPO, so check each concert’s venue before you book.

Dublin International Film Festival

The Dublin International Film Festival runs from 18 to 28 February and screens new Irish and international cinema across the capital. Expect premieres, classic films and conversations with directors and actors.

Cúirt International Festival of Literature

Cúirt likely runs from 20 to 25 April and brings Irish and international writers to Galway for readings, conversations and performances. The Irish Road Trip lists it among Europe’s oldest international literature festivals.

Waterford Festival of Food

The Waterford Festival of Food likely runs from 23 to 25 April and takes over Dungarvan and the surrounding area with markets, tastings, demonstrations and dining events built around local produce. Meet the producers, then buy what you taste.

Riverfest Limerick

Riverfest runs from 30 April to 3 May and takes over Limerick over the May Bank Holiday weekend with live entertainment, food, watersports and the Great Limerick Run. It suits families and day visitors.

Bealtaine Festival

Bealtaine runs all May and celebrates creativity as we age, with music, dance, theatre and exhibitions across the country throughout the month. Its 2027 flagship events run in Ennis from 20 to 22 May, the first time in over 30 years that the flagship base sits outside Dublin.

Early summer festivals

Listowel Writers’ Week

Listowel Writers’ Week runs from 2 to 6 June and brings talks, readings, workshops and competitions to the Kerry town. The Irish Road Trip calls it the oldest literary and arts festival in Ireland.

Bloom

Bord Bia’s Bloom runs from 3 to 7 June and fills Phoenix Park in Dublin with show gardens, Irish food, talks, workshops and family activities over five days. Gardeners come for ideas, while families come for the entertainment.

Rory Gallagher International Tribute Festival

The Rory Gallagher festival in Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, is planned for 3 to 6 June and hopes to return in 2027, but its future depends on fundraising and legal action because the festival says Tickets.ie owes it about €283,000. Check its official channels before you book travel.

Cat Laughs Comedy Festival

Cat Laughs runs from 4 to 7 June. Irish and international comedians perform at venues across Kilkenny over the June Bank Holiday weekend, so book your table and your bed together.

Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival

Westport Folk and Bluegrass runs from 10 to 13 June and brings four days of folk, bluegrass and old time music to Co Mayo, including popular seated evening concerts.

Bloomsday

Bloomsday falls on 16 June and marks 16 June 1904, the day depicted in James Joyce’s Ulysses. Dublin hosts readings, walking tours and performances at places linked to Joyce and his novel.

Midsummer festivals

Kaleidoscope Festival

Kaleidoscope Festival runs from 2 to 4 July at Russborough House in Co Wicklow. It mixes live music with theatre, arts and crafts, workshops and plenty of activities for younger visitors.

Galway Film Fleadh

Galway Film Fleadh runs from 6 to 11 July and screens Irish and international films, with industry masterclasses and a pitching competition for filmmakers. Screenings suit every film fan, while the talks suit anyone who wants to work in the industry.

Earagail Arts Festival

Earagail Arts Festival runs from 10 to 24 July and spreads across Co Donegal, with music, theatre, circus, visual arts and spoken word in towns, villages and rural locations.

Féile an Phobail

Féile an Phobail runs from 25 July to 9 August and transforms west Belfast with concerts, comedy, debates, walking tours and Irish language events. It suits a longer city stay, and you pay in pounds sterling.

Birr Vintage Week

Birr Vintage Week runs from 30 July to 7 August in Co Offaly. It dates from 1968 and mixes music, street theatre and exhibitions with community events. It is one of the longest running community festivals in Ireland.

Spraoi International Street Arts Festival

Spraoi runs from 30 July to 1 August and fills Waterford city with street theatre, music and large scale spectacle. Discover Ireland lists all Spraoi events as free for 2026, so confirm that for 2027.

Late summer festivals

Kilkenny Arts Festival

Kilkenny Arts Festival likely runs from 6 to 15 August. It dates back more than 50 years and brings musicians, performers, writers and artists to the medieval city, with events in historic buildings, churches, theatres and outdoor spaces.

Cork on a Fork

Cork on a Fork runs from 11 to 15 August and celebrates the city’s food scene with tastings, demonstrations, talks and trails across five days. It suits you if you want to sample local produce while you explore.

Rose of Tralee International Festival

The Rose of Tralee likely runs from 13 to 17 August and fills Tralee with entertainment beyond the televised selection of the Rose, so the whole town joins the party.

Masters of Tradition

Masters of Tradition runs from 18 to 22 August and brings leading traditional musicians to intimate venues in Bantry, Co Cork. Fiddle player Martin Hayes curates the programme.

Another Love Story

Another Love Story runs from 20 to 22 August and is a small music festival at Killyon Manor in Co Meath with Irish and international acts, DJs and food over one gentle summer weekend. Tickets for the 2026 edition start from €210, which shows what boutique weekends cost.

Early autumn festivals

Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival

The Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival in Co Clare runs all month, from 1 to 30 September. Discover Ireland says the tradition spans over 165 years and draws more than 60,000 people to the village each year, so book beds early.

Dublin Fringe Festival

Dublin Fringe likely runs from 4 to 19 September and is one of Ireland’s biggest multidisciplinary arts festivals. It packs theatre, comedy, dance and experimental performance into venues across the capital, with both established and emerging artists, so you can mix big names with new work.

Culture Night

Culture Night takes place on 17 September and opens museums, galleries and heritage sites across Ireland for thousands of free events in a single evening. Pick two or three places near each other and walk between them.

Dublin Theatre Festival

Dublin Theatre Festival likely runs from 23 September to 10 October. It dates from 1957, and Discover Ireland calls it Europe’s longest running specialist theatre festival. It brings major Irish and international productions to Dublin theatres.

Galway Oyster Festival

The Galway Oyster Festival likely runs from 24 to 26 September and pairs oysters and seafood with live entertainment around Galway city over a weekend. Book seafood meals early, because the city fills.

Late autumn festivals

Dingle Food Festival

The Dingle Food Festival in Co Kerry takes place on the first weekend of October and fills the town with food trails, cookery demonstrations and market stalls, so wear comfortable shoes and arrive hungry.

Open House Dublin

Open House Dublin likely runs from 9 to 17 October and opens buildings across the city for tours and talks. Discover Ireland lists it as free but ticketed, so book your slots early.

Cork Jazz Festival

Cork Jazz likely runs from 21 to 25 October and takes over the city over the October Bank Holiday weekend. Its Jazz Music Trail spreads live performances across more than 70 venues.

Savour Kilkenny

Savour Kilkenny likely runs from 21 to 25 October and turns the medieval city into a food festival with a large market, cookery demonstrations, artisan producers and street food beside Kilkenny Castle.

Bram Stoker Festival

The Bram Stoker Festival likely runs from 22 to 25 October and celebrates the Dublin born author of Dracula with theatre, talks, family events and dark spectacles around the city.

Derry Halloween

Derry Halloween likely runs from 27 to 31 October and fills the city with performances, parades and installations inspired by Samhain. Derry sits in Northern Ireland, so bring pounds sterling.

Púca Festival

Púca Festival likely runs from 29 October to 1 November in Trim and Athboy, Co Meath, and celebrates Ireland as the original home of Halloween with folklore, music, food and fire performances.

Winter and festive events

Dublin Book Festival

The Dublin Book Festival likely runs from 3 to 7 November and celebrates Irish writers, publishers and illustrators with talks, poetry, walking tours and family events across the city.

Cork International Film Festival

Cork International Film Festival likely runs from 11 to 21 November. It dates from 1956 and shows new Irish cinema alongside international films, documentaries and shorts.

Winterval Waterford

Winterval Waterford runs from mid November to 23 December and is one of the biggest Christmas festivals in Ireland, with markets, family attractions and a mix of free and ticketed events.

Belfast Christmas Market

Belfast Christmas Market runs from mid November to 22 December and fills the grounds of City Hall with traders, street food and festive gifts. Entry costs nothing in 2026, so confirm for 2027.

Dublin Castle Christmas Market

The Irish Road Trip reports that the Dublin Castle Christmas Market skips 2026 and is due back in 2027. Confirm that with the organisers before you plan a trip around it.

How to choose from festivals in Ireland

Start with what you enjoy. Music fans pick Electric Picnic, the Fleadh Cheoil or Cork Jazz. Food lovers book Cork on a Fork, Dingle Food Festival or Savour Kilkenny. Readers head to Listowel Writers’ Week or the Dublin Book Festival. Families look at Kaleidoscope, Riverfest or Birr Vintage Week. Anyone on a tight budget starts with Spraoi, Culture Night or Open House Dublin.

Then think about scale and travel. Electric Picnic gathers 80,000 people, while Hidden Hearth in Co Carlow and Open Ear on Sherkin Island stay small and intimate. Rural festivals take more planning than city events, so check parking, shuttle buses and beds early.

Costs, tickets and planning

What festivals cost

Costs run from free events to tickets that start at €210 for a boutique music weekend, and the ticket is only part of the bill. Electric Picnic holds its 2027 prices level, according to organiser Melvin Benn. Add travel, accommodation and food, and keep a small buffer for rain gear. The Irish Road Trip warns that parking in Howth during the All Shucked Up oyster festival is nearly impossible, so take public transport.

Buying tickets safely

Buy from the festival’s own site, its named ticket agent or an official resale platform. Bank of Ireland reports a 28% rise in purchase scams in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, and fraudsters target events with no tickets left through social media listings. Gardaí in Laois investigate Electric Picnic ticket scams. Walk away from low prices, pressure to pay fast and requests to leave the official platform. Never pay a stranger by bank transfer, and contact your bank straight away if a scam hits you. The Sale of Tickets Act 2021 bans selling tickets above face value for certain designated venues, but Gardaí say investigating platforms outside Ireland is difficult.

Bank Holidays and the border

The Republic’s 2027 Bank Holiday Mondays fall on 3 May, 7 June, 2 August and 25 October, and festivals pack those weekends. Northern Ireland adds 31 May and 30 August. Many offices and banks close, so sort cash, transport and tickets early. Pack waterproofs even in July, because Irish weather changes fast. Belfast and Derry events run in pounds sterling, so check your card’s foreign fees before you travel.

Final words

Ireland’s festival calendar rewards early planning. Pick the event that matches your taste, whether that is music, food, books, theatre or family fun, then check the organiser’s own website to confirm 2027 dates before you commit. Book tickets and beds early, especially for Electric Picnic, Galway International Arts Festival and Bank Holiday weekends, when whole towns fill up. 

Buy only from official sellers, because scams rise when tickets run out, and keep your confirmation emails. Pack waterproofs even in July, and remember that Belfast and Derry events run in pounds sterling. Smaller festivals and free events such as Culture Night make an easy way to sample Irish culture on a budget. Bookmark this guide, as we update dates when organisers confirm them, and tell us which festival you plan to visit.

FAQs

What are the best festivals in Ireland?

Electric Picnic leads for music, the Fleadh Cheoil for traditional music, Galway International Arts Festival for culture, Cork Jazz for autumn and Puck Fair for something unique. Match one to your interests, then confirm 2027 dates.

When is festival season in Ireland?

Festival season peaks from May to October, with July and August the busiest months. Winter still has TradFest in January, St Patrick’s Festival in March and Christmas events from mid November.

What is the biggest festival in Ireland?

Electric Picnic is the biggest, with an 80,000 capacity at Stradbally Hall in Co Laois. The 2027 edition runs from 27 to 29 August, and general tickets have none left.

Are there free Irish festivals?

Yes. Spraoi in Waterford lists all events as free for 2026, and Culture Night offers thousands of free events each September. Open House Dublin is free but ticketed. Confirm 2027 details.

How do I buy festival tickets safely in Ireland?

Buy from the festival’s own website, its named ticket agent or an official resale platform. Avoid social media sellers, unusually low prices and bank transfers to strangers, and check who the seller is before you pay.

Which festivals suit families?

Kaleidoscope at Russborough House, Riverfest in Limerick and Birr Vintage Week suit families well. Spraoi and Culture Night add free options. Check age guidance and ticket rules before you book.

Do Irish festivals run in winter?

Yes. TradFest fills Dublin in January, the Dublin International Film Festival runs in February, and Christmas festivals in Waterford and Belfast start from mid November, so winter visitors still have plenty of choice.