Trad, tech and vampires: what events are taking place across Dublin in 2026?
As a global hub for culture and the arts, Dublin has more than its fair share of events and experiences, with a rich assortment of activities for residents and visitors to enjoy.
Below, we’ve collected a few highlights of the events calendar slated for the year to come.
In its 21st year, the music festival, which highlights traditional and folk artists across the country, will partner with every local authority in Dublin, adding Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to its list of collaborators this year.
In Dublin city, TradFest will see performances in venues like Dublin Castle and St Patrick’s Cathedral. South Dublin will see live music in other non-traditional venues such as Rathfarnham Castle, St Maelruain’s Church and Aon Scéal Cafe.
In Fingal, the festival is entering its third year, returning to Ardgillan Castle, Malahide Castle and Swords Castle Chapel with performances by artists like Ralph McTell and Stockton’s Wing, The Dublin Legends and The Fingal Gospel Choir.
St Patrick’s Festival – March 14 to 17
Always an iconic experience in the Irish capital, the annual St Patrick’s Festival, capped by the world-famous parade on the final day, is a green-tinged spectacle of Irishness enjoyed by many the world over.
Programme details are still being ironed out for this year’s celebrations, but organisers promise “the largest celebration of Irish culture and heritage in the world”.
Past festivals have included a range of family-friendly and free cultural events, mixed with experiences that span the breadth of Dublin’s lively pub and club scene.
This May, Dublin Tech Week will return for a second year with a week-long programme of events across the city including tech conferences, open houses, showcases, hackathons and meet-ups.
Last year, it saw the Smart Docklands project host family workshops at Pearse Street Library and a “smart city adventure” in the docklands which included an educational tour through different devices that help service Dublin city.
In South Dublin, the Tallaght-based co-working space WorkIQ hosted a hackathon for younger people in the area to brainstorm solutions to current issues faced by Dublin like planning, homelessness and mobility.
This 40,000-people-strong musical celebration, which has tended in the more hip hop and electronic direction with its acts in recent years, is set to return to the sprawling Marlay Park in south Dublin this July.
Calvin Harris previously headlined Longitude at Marlay Park in Dublin
Exact dates and acts are not confirmed as yet, but the line-up last year featured well-known musicians like David Guetta and 50 Cent and has even hosted the likes of Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd in recent years.
Kayla Robertson and Danny McCarthy launching a previous Bram Stoker Festival. Photo: Fran Veale/Julien Behal Photography
The spooky annual Bram Stoker Festival, a Halloween treat for Dubliners celebrating the famous author of Dracula and the city’s literary tradition, is all but guaranteed to feature yet again in the city’s line-up of events for the coming year.
Last year’s festivities included a blend of family-friendly and free events, with ticketed performances and shows across a range of venues city-wide.
Highlights included the Macnas parade, An Treun: The Summoning of the Lost, which weaved through the north-east inner city, along with a rare screening of Kwaidan, Masaki Kobayashi’s adaptation of Lafcadio Hearn’s ghost stories.