12 Best Festivals in Ireland for a Brilliant Time

One thing’s for sure about the Irish – they know how to party. The Irish festival calendar is a hectic one, full of music, food, dancing and more often than not Guinness. With so many festivals happening throughout the year, you’ll need to know which are the best festivals in Ireland not to be missed.

There’s always some craic going on in Ireland. In fact, there’s so much craic you have to have a pint of Guinness every so often just to calm down. This is even more true when you’re at an Irish festival. They last anywhere from one day to a week, and they’re full of just pure laughter, fun and merriment.

Each festivals in Ireland is very different, with their own reason for existing. Whether that’s to celebrate traditional Irish music and dance, international films, the Irish language, literature, special dates, saints or historic events. However, they all guarantee a good time.

The question is, which of the best festivals in Ireland should you go to?

1. Belfast International Arts Festival

11 October – 5 November 2023

The Belfast International Arts Festival started life as a university project for founder Michael Emerson, who set up the then small event on the campus of Queen’s University, Belfast.

Now, over 60 years later, it’s one of the biggest and best music festivals in Ireland. It’s a huge music and theatre event attracting thousands of people every year. Past guests have included Jimi Hendrix, Dizzy Gillespie and Laurence Olivier, which shows how significant this festival is!

Every Autumn, the festival spreads out all over Belfast with events at the Botanic Gardens, Empire Music Hall, Ulster Museum and Mandela Hall among others. It holds over 320 artistic events, incorporating concerts, dance performances, discussions, film premieres and more. You can pay for events, as opposed to day tickets, meaning you pick and choose to see the acts you want to. Take a look at some of the best cheap things to do in Belfast to make the most of your trip, too.

2. Guinness Cork Jazz Festival

26-30 October 2023

Since 1979 the annual Cork Jazz Festival has attracted hundreds of jazz fans to the city. It’s one of the longest-running jazz festivals in the world, starting back in 1978. It just seems to be getting bigger as well, with 40,000 heading to Cork, Ireland for one of the best festivals in the country.

Over the years, lots of notable musicians have played, such as Ella Fitzgerald, Turk Murphy, Cleo Laine, Dave Brubeck and Gerry Mulligan.

You can catch the Jazz Train from Dublin or the Jazz Boat from the UK to make travelling to the festival all the more fun.

The Cork Jazz Festival also has a monster food market in Patrick Street with live music and a circus show called Circus Squared where you can enjoy watching juggling, acrobatics and general circus style mayhem on the plaza. However, the most popular event is usually the Jazz Festival Club at The Metropole Hotel. If you’re planning to go to this, book your tickets early!

However, if you’re on a budget, you can still enjoy the Cork Jazz Festival, as many of the events are free.

3. Galway International Arts Festival

17-23 July 2023

The Galway International Arts Festival is a prominent feature of Ireland’s cultural festival calendar, and a one of the top Irish festivals. It has a riverside location, which provides a nice backdrop to attend talks, exhibitions and a wide range of performances.

The city is home to 20,000 students, so the festival definitely has a youthful vibe to it. But it’s far from a student-centred festival, with plenty on offer across the arts. It’s a combination of local acts from Galway, as well as national Irish acts and international talent.

Lots of famous faces have also been part of Galway International Arts Festival, further proving why it’s one of the best festivals in Ireland. These include Kaiser Chiefs, KT Tunstsall, Bon Iver, Blondie, Joni Mitchell, Colm Meaney and more.

4. Puck Fair, Kerry

10-12 August 2023

The Puck Fair in Kerry is Ireland’s oldest festival. It’s been going for over four centuries, held on the same day every year. It’s considered more in the group of fairs than festivals, but still one of the best events in Ireland. It’s known for being family-friendly and free, ensuring everyone can join in without fail.

There’s a lot of fun to be had over the three days, I’ll list a few but with a deep breath: horse fairs, pipe and drum workshops, street entertainment, puppets, dancers, circus workshops, pipe bands, music, queen coronation ceremonies, fireworks, stalls, storytelling workshops, bonny baby competitions, fire shows, fancy dress competitions…