- New Year’s Festival Dublin (30 December: 1 January): Ireland’s largest New Year’s celebration featuring live concerts, countdown events, family-friendly matinees, fireworks spectaculars, and music trails across Dublin Castle and city venues to ring in 2026 with spectacle and joy.
- TradFest Temple Bar (typically late January): Dublin’s premier traditional Irish music and culture festival with performances in historic venues like St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin Castle, and pubs, showcasing folk, trad sessions, and emerging artists.
- Borderline Festival (19–21 February 2026): A cutting-edge music festival expanding across venues like The Workman’s Club and Project Arts Centre, championing boundary-pushing electronic, alternative, and forward-thinking sounds from Ireland and beyond.
- St Patrick’s Festival (14–17 March 2026): The iconic four-day national celebration with a massive parade, street theatre, céilís, concerts, treasure hunts, and city-wide events honouring Ireland’s patron saint in vibrant, inclusive style.
- New Music Dublin (15–19 April 2026): Ireland’s foremost contemporary music festival at the National Concert Hall and venues across Dublin, presenting over 25 live performances, world premieres, and innovative works for curious audiences.
- International Literature Festival Dublin (typically May): A prominent literary gathering with readings, discussions, and events featuring international and Irish authors in various Dublin locations.
- Forbidden Fruit Festival (30–31 May 2026): Dublin’s longest-running city-centre music festival on the grounds of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, blending indie, electronic, hip-hop, and alternative acts for a summer kick-off weekend.
- Bord Bia Bloom (June bank holiday weekend): Ireland’s largest gardening, food, and lifestyle festival in Phoenix Park, featuring show gardens, live demos, food markets, and family entertainment over five days.
- Bloomsday Festival (around 16 June): A joyful city-wide celebration of James Joyce’s Ulysses with readings, reenactments, walking tours, pub crawls, performances, and Edwardian-dressed revelry tracing Leopold Bloom’s steps.
- Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride Festival (culminating late June): A vibrant ten-day event with parties, arts, cultural activities, and the massive Pride Parade through the city centre, celebrating diversity and inclusion.
- Longitude Festival (typically early July): Marlay Park’s major outdoor music festival featuring international hip-hop, pop, electronic, and indie headliners across multiple stages for a high-energy weekend.
- Dublin Horse Show (typically August): A prestigious equestrian event at the RDS with international show jumping competitions, breed displays, shopping villages, and family entertainment.
- Dublin Fringe Festival (5–20 September 2026): An adventurous multidisciplinary arts festival showcasing bold new theatre, dance, comedy, live art, and interdisciplinary works across Dublin venues.
- Dublin Theatre Festival (24 September: 11 October 2026): Europe’s oldest specialised theatre festival presenting ambitious Irish and international productions, premieres, and talks in theatres city-wide.
- Dublin Festival of History (typically late September/early October): A free public history event with talks, walks, lectures, and discussions by leading historians in venues across the city.
- Bram Stoker Festival (typically late October): A gothic-inspired Halloween weekend celebrating the Dracula author with parades, performances, screenings, supernatural events, and family-friendly frights.
- Winterval (typically November/December, though primarily Waterford, with Dublin elements): Festive markets and lights, but focusing on Dublin’s own Christmas markets and events.
- NYF Dublin Countdown Concert (part of New Year’s, but extended celebrations): Additional music and light shows as part of the ongoing winter festival vibe into early 2026.
- Dublin International Film Festival (typically February/March, but annual): Ireland’s premier film event with screenings, premieres, and industry talks (noting it may span into early 2026 planning).
- Taste of Dublin (typically June): A food and drink festival in Merrion Squarepark setting with top chefs, tastings, and masterclasses celebrating culinary excellence.
Festivals
Antrim – Armagh – Carlow – Cavan – Clare – Cork – Derry – Donegal – Down – Dublin – Fermanagh – Galway – Kerry – Kildare – Kilkenny – Laois – Leitrim – Limerick – Longford – Louth – Mayo – Meath – Monaghan – Offaly – Roscommon – Sligo – Tipperary– Tyrone – Waterford – Westmeath – Wexford – Wicklow
Dublin:
Introduction – 1837 – Adventure – Anthem – Archaeology – Attractions – Awards – Birdwatching – Castles – Churches – Contact list – Cycling – Dining – Equestrian – Festivals – Fishing – Folklore – Golf – Graveyards – Happening – Haunted – Highest – Hiking – History – Holy Wells –Hotels – Hotels8 – Instagrammable – Itineraries – Largest town – Luxury – MICE – Movies – Musicians – Name – Novelists – Off the beaten track – Poets – Pubs – Quotes – Random Facts – Restaurant Awards – Saints – Spas – Sports – Sunsets – Sustainable – Things to do – Towns – Video – Villages – Walking – Wanderlist – Weddings – Wild swimming – Writers
