Púca Festival 2026: Dates, Programme & Travel Tips

Thursday 29 October to Sunday 1 November 2026

The official calendar lists the festival from Thursday 29 October to Sunday 1 November 2026. Events take place in both Trim and Athboy, so the festival isn’t contained in one walkable site. The festival website and Transport for Ireland list a procession in Trim on Friday 30 October, followed by the lighting of the Samhain fire in Athboy on Saturday 31 October. The fire ceremony is held in town; it is separate from the archaeological site at Tlachtga, which features in other activities.

Music sets the pace across the weekend too. The Coronas, Róisín O and Hothouse Flowers are listed for Friday; The Whistlin’ Donkeys are on Saturday’s programme; and The Waterboys close the festival in Trim on Sunday. The opening programme also lists The Stunning and the Sharon Shannon Big Band. Check each event listing for its exact venue, time, age limit and ticket price: there’s no single start time for the whole festival.

Choose your main event

• Thursday 29: opening concerts and events in both towns.
• Friday 30: evening procession in Trim and scheduled concerts.
• Saturday 31: Samhain fire in Athboy; Big Top concerts take place in Trim.
• Sunday 1 November: The Waterboys’ closing concert and heritage activities.

A major Gaelic tradition with layered origins

In the Gaelic calendar, Samhain marks the seasonal turn from the end of the harvest into the darker half of the year. The National Museum of Ireland documents Irish customs linked with Halloween, including carved turnip lanterns, disguises, divination and stories about púcas. These traditions have been passed on and reshaped; sources don’t support treating every present-day custom as an ancient rite unchanged for centuries.

Halloween also developed alongside the Christian calendar, including All Hallows’ Eve and All Saints’ Day, and later through folk customs in Ireland and Scotland and migration to North America. Smithsonian traces these historical layers and the evolution of customs such as trick-or-treating. It’s fair to say Halloween has Gaelic and Irish roots; available sources don’t support claiming it began exclusively in Athboy, at Tlachtga or at any other one location.

The festival itself is modern. Launched in 2019 by Fáilte Ireland and local partners, Púca reinterprets cultural references through concerts, street arts, performances, food and tours. The phrase “where Halloween began” is a heritage tourism narrative, not archaeological proof that today’s event recreates an unchanged ceremony. To place it in a wider Irish cultural calendar, read our guide to Puck Fair 2026 in Killorglin.

Three ways to understand the festival

• Samhain: a Gaelic seasonal festival whose customs have varied across time and place.
• Tlachtga: a site linked with stories of Samhain, with no evidence it was the festival’s sole origin.
• Púca: a contemporary celebration interpreting living heritage.

Free highlights and separately ticketed events

The official site separates public events from paid shows and experiences. The procession, fire ceremony, projections and market are listed as free, although a grandstand seat for the procession may be sold separately. Concerts, guided tours, workshops and meals have their own tickets. An individual activity’s price shouldn’t be presented as the cost of admission to the festival.

When checked on 29 September 2026, Discover Ireland listed Sorcas na Samhna at €20 plus fees, or €60 plus fees for a family package covering two adults and two children under 15. The Samhain Banquet in Athboy was listed at €85 plus fees and restricted to adults aged 18 and over. The Waterboys’ concert in Trim on 1 November was listed at €50 plus fees. These prices apply to three specific events, not a festival-wide ticket; prices, fees and availability can change.

For a family day out, start with daytime shows and experiences explicitly marked as suitable for children. The festival’s essential information lists Big Top events as 16+ and Samhain Circus as 18+. Age limits vary by event, so check each listing before booking.

Check these details before paying

• The exact venue and town where the event takes place.
• Fees, ticket availability, cancellation terms and any age restrictions.
• Whether your ticket time works with the Trim–Athboy shuttle.

Plan your journeys before choosing evening events

Transport for Ireland lists a festival shuttle between Trim and Athboy, roughly hourly, with a journey time of 20 to 30 minutes. Its page gives stops and service windows, but check the timetable for your date before travelling, especially after concerts. Bus Éireann also serves the county; use the TFI journey planner to check the best connection for your chosen time. Dublin Airport doesn’t connect directly to every festival venue, so plan the onward journey into the area and your trip back after an evening event.

You don’t need a car if you stay near a stop and plan around public transport. Driving doesn’t solve everything: temporary road closures and limited parking in Athboy can make major events harder to reach. The festival site lists free parking in Trim and recommends arriving early. It gets dark earlier in late October, after the clocks go back on 25 October; bring a waterproof layer and shoes suited to cobbles as well as outdoor paths.

Trim Castle, cared for by Heritage Ireland, is a medieval attraction in its own right; it isn’t a Samhain monument. In Athboy, separate heritage tours visit the Hill of Ward, also known as Tlachtga, linked with Samhain traditions. If you extend your stay, Brú na Bóinne is a UNESCO site with a distinct Neolithic heritage. Book access to monuments separately and don’t confuse them with the festival programme.

To add another stop to your Irish trip, see our guides to Cork and its neighbourhoods and the Belfast Fleadh Cheoil for more cultural trip ideas. Each stop away from Meath needs separate transport and can take several hours to reach.

Age limits, bags and accessibility

• Published rules limit bags to 40 × 40 × 20 cm; large suitcases and rucksacks aren’t allowed.
• Temporary venues and outdoor sites may involve cobbles, slopes, grass and low lighting.
• If you have accessibility requirements, ask the organisers about the specific venue and session.