Púca Festival 2026 — Halloween's birthplace, Trim & Athboy

Ireland claims Halloween as its own, and County Meath makes the strongest case. Samhain, the Celtic festival that marked the turn into the dark half of the year, was kept with a great fire on the Hill of Ward at Athboy, and the Púca Festival builds its four nights around that story. From Thursday 29 October to Sunday 1 November 2026 the medieval town of Trim and nearby Athboy fill with fire shows, drums, projections and live music, with the ruins of Trim Castle as the backdrop.

What is free

The headline spectacle costs nothing. The Púca Procession winds through the streets of Trim on the Friday evening with fire, drums and costumed spirits, followed by a fire performance from the Pyro Collective. On Saturday night the Samhain fire is lit at Athboy. Each evening the walls of Trim Castle carry large-scale projections, and the Pyro Collective also performs at Athboy Fairgreen. Expect the procession route to be busy an hour before it starts.

Ticketed music and comedy

The big top in Trim hosts a different bill each night (16+ in the big top):

• Thursday 29 October — The Stunning, Sharon Shannon Big Band & Mundy, with support from Fin Furey. Comedy: Enya Martin.
• Friday 30 October — The Coronas, with support from Roísín O; Hothouse Flowers. Comedy: John Colleary.
• Saturday 31 October — The Whistlin' Donkeys, Highstool Prophets & Mark McCabe; Jerry Fish's Electric Slideshow Cabaret; Qween & the DGC. Comedy: Shane Daniel Byrne.
• Sunday 1 November — The Waterboys.

Around the music there are heritage tours of Tlachtga (the Hill of Ward), the Púca Trail through Trim, foraging and tree-lore walks, mask-making and Ogham carving workshops, a Samhain banquet in Athboy, burlesque and cabaret, and two circuses — an adult Samhain Circus (over 18s) and a family-friendly Sorcas na Samhna. Tickets are sold only through the festival's official ticket page; the programme is published subject to licence, so re-check times close to the date.

Good to know

Late October in Meath is cold and often wet, and most of the free programme is outdoors: bring layers, a waterproof and shoes for muddy grass. Bags larger than 40 × 40 × 20 cm are not allowed into ticketed venues, and outside alcohol is not permitted. Trim is small, so beds go early — book accommodation in Trim, Navan, Kells, Slane or Drogheda as soon as you have tickets, or stay in Dublin and travel out.

From the UK: fly to Dublin (DUB), about 45 km from Trim; the drive is roughly an hour. Ireland is in the Common Travel Area, so British citizens do not need a visa and are not legally required to show a passport, but airlines and ferry companies set their own ID rules and several require a passport — check your carrier before you travel (GOV.UK Ireland entry requirements).

From Dublin: Bus Éireann runs regular services to Trim and to Athboy. By train, Irish Rail runs from Dublin Connolly to Enfield about every half hour, with a local bus on to Trim in around 25 minutes. The festival also lays on a coach from Dublin with pick-ups in Drogheda, Navan, Slane, Kells and Mullingar; details are posted on its social channels close to the dates.

Between the two towns: a free festival shuttle runs hourly between Trim and Athboy on each festival day (20–30 minutes). Parking is free at Trim Porchfields; parking in Athboy is limited, so use the shuttle.