- TradFest 2026 runs 21-25 January with music across Dublin city centre venues.
- Dublin City Sessions provide free pop-up performances in shopping and pedestrian areas.
- Headline concerts include Féile Kíla and Transatlantic Women at historic sites.
- Temple Bar Smithwick’s Sessions and An Sesh Mór for informal and late-night music.
- Supported by Dublin City Council for accessible cultural celebration.
The Dublin City Council supported TradFest 2026 ran from 21 to 25 January as Ireland’s largest traditional and folk music celebration.
The festival filled city centre with performances, sessions, and pop-up events across Temple Bar, Dublin Castle, St Patrick’s Cathedral, City Hall, and other venues. Dublin City Sessions deliver free live music in high-footfall areas like Henry Street, O’Connell Street, and shopping centres. Headline concerts featured Féile Kíla and Transatlantic Women with artists including Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and Sharon Shannon. An Sesh Mór offered late-night gatherings at The Button Factory.
Lord Mayor Ray McAdam encouraged participation to celebrate Dublin’s heritage and creativity. The event reaches wide audiences through accessible public spaces. Temple Bar hosted Smithwick’s Sessions for informal trad music. The programme included acoustic sets in historic buildings. TradFest spans over 20 venues for inclusive experiences.
The festival transforms Dublin into a centre for Irish culture in January. Free pop-ups ensure broad access and concerts were programmed in atmospheric settings.
Lord Mayor Ray McAdam shared “TradFest 2026 captures everything that is special about Dublin, our music, our heritage, our warmth and our creativity. As Lord Mayor, my theme this year is Celebrating Dublin, and TradFest is a perfect expression of that spirit: a city alive with culture, community, and pride in who we are. Dublin City Council is proud to support a festival that reaches right into the heart of the city centre, bringing free sessions, performances and cultural experiences directly to the public. I encourage everyone to step into town, follow the music from street to street, and enjoy the extraordinary talent TradFest brings to Dublin each January.”
