Bealtaine Festival, Ireland’s national celebration of the arts and ageing, is delighted to announce its highly anticipated 2026 programme. Beginning on 1st May, we are looking forward to bringing together artists, communities and audiences nationwide for a month‑long celebration of creativity. Events will take place across arts centres, community venues and online platforms, ensuring widespread access and participation.
Bealtaine Festival is proudly funded by the Arts Council and the HSE, and supported by an extensive network of communities and national partners.
The 2026 programme continues the festival’s exploration of its Lust for Life theme, inspired by the iconic Iggy Pop anthem. The theme encourages audiences to embrace ageing as a time of vitality, energy and reinvention.
Flagship Weekend at Project Arts Centre
Following a month of nationwide activity, the festival culminates in a flagship three‑day celebration from 28–30 May at Project Arts Centre in Dublin. Across these dates, audiences can enjoy an exciting blend of performance, visual art, music, film, literature and dance. This weekend acts as the creative centrepiece of the festival, bringing together artists and audiences for a lively and joyful finale.
Bealtaine 2026 also partners with leading cultural institutions including Temple Bar Gallery + Studios, the Irish Film Institute, the National Photographic Archive, and Photo Museum Ireland.
Bealtaine 2026 Programme Highlights
The Big Bealtaine Tea Party, taking place at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), is one of the festival’s standout events. Curated by Citizen Curators Joe Maguire, Madge O’Callaghan and Peter Clarke, this intergenerational celebration features music, storytelling and live performance, with contributions from writer Tom Dredge, storyteller Ruth Marshall and actor Bríd Ní Neachtain.
The much‑loved Nationwide Dawn & Dusk Chorus returns in partnership with Sing Ireland, bringing together singing groups across the country to welcome sunrise and sunset with performances inspired by the festival’s theme.
Miriam O’Callaghan joins writer Susan McKay for a wide‑ranging conversation reflecting on her broadcasting career, her memoir Miriam: Life, Work, Everything, and her thoughts on ageing, womanhood and public life.
Bealtaine Ambassadors Liz McManus and Mike Hanrahan lead Retired? You Must Be Joking!, a lively conversation about art, ageing and visibility, joined by Éilís Ní Dhuibhne and Kieran Hanrahan.
Not Dead Yet: Love, Intimacy and Dating in Later Life offers a bold and candid exploration of romance in older age. Chaired by Barbara Scully, this headline event features Rory O’Neill (Panti Bliss), musician Leslie Dowdall, and neuroscientist Dr Sabina Brennan, followed by a relaxed “Mix & Mingle” social event.
Singer‑songwriter Paul Cleary will join broadcaster and musician Tom Dunne for an engaging conversation on the enduring legacy, Ringsend roots, and musical poetry of The Blades.
A special commission by Éireann and I, This Land Bears Our Name, explores older migrants’ relationships with Dublin city through newly created images from a sound‑walking workshop combined with participants’ personal archives.
Touring nationwide throughout May, Won’t Be Told by Tumble Circus brings audiences a rebellious circus adventure filled with wild acrobatics, absurd juggling and irreverent comedy.
We Are An Archipelago offers a moving spoken‑word and live music experience inspired by the true story of a 99‑year‑old man returning to his island home after eighty years away, exploring friendship, homecoming and embracing change.
In partnership with the International Literature Festival Dublin, Standing on the Shoulders of Giants brings together Phillip McMahon and Gerry Stembridge for a conversation on mentorship, influence and artistic legacy.
Completing the list of major highlights, Johnny Got a Bus Pass by Little John Nee presents a funny, heartfelt and musical memoir celebrating the perspective and spirit of an elder punk.
Additional Programme Events
Throughout May, audiences across Ireland can enjoy National Arts in Nursing Homes Day (in partnership with Nursing Homes Ireland), as well as film screenings, visual art exhibitions, artist talks, writing and memoir workshops, dance and drumming sessions, and filmmaking masterclasses.
Check out our digital programme brochure here.
