Joyce Bloomsday

The island of Ireland is a dynamic destination in the summer when it hosts some of the world’s best arts and music festivals.

Bloomsday Festival, Dublin (11–16 June)

The unique Bloomsday Festival celebrates the story of Leopold Bloom, the central character in James Joyce’s famous novel, Ulysses.  Fans of the book are invited to dress up and step back in time as, across Dublin, musical, artistic and food-related events bring Ulysses to life.

Belsonic, Belfast (18–24 June)

Legends of the music scene including Nile Rodgers & Chic, The Script, Liam Gallagher and Carl Cox will take to the stage in June at Belfast’s biggest beat bash. The week-long festival, held in Ormeau Park, leaves plenty of opportunity to explore the historic city and soak up some Belfast vibe.

Summer in the City, Dublin (23–24 June)

Ireland’s newest open-air music event looks set to be a massive hit with the line-up featuring top bands The Chainsmokers, Picture This, Clean Bandit, JP Cooper, Little Hours and Rita Ora. Another great reason to visit Dublin.

Seafest, Galway (29 June–1 July)

Taking place on the spectacular Wild Atlantic Way, Seafest is Ireland’s national maritime festival celebrating all things oceanic. Events include a seafood fair, seafood cookery demonstrations with celebrity chefs, tours of ocean-going vessels, boat trips, flyboarding displays and exhibits on marine life and deep-sea exploration.

Seafest Galway

Galway International Arts Festival (16–29 July)

Named as one of the top five summer festivals in Europe, Galway International Arts Festival is an explosion of arts activity including theatre, dance, music, opera, street spectacle, visual arts, discussion and comedy taking place across 33 venues. This year top Irish band Kodaline returns to the Festival Big Top, while new drama and award-winning productions take to the stage.

Galway Arts

Indiependence Festival, Cork (3–5 August)

A stellar line-up including headliners Primal Scream, Walking on Cars and Jake Bugg makes this one of the best music festivals of the year, with performances on multiple stages across a tree-lined, 52-acre site overlooked by the gorgeous Galtee mountains.

Kilkenny Arts Festival (9–19 August)

Aptly subtitled ‘Artistic adventures in Ireland’s medieval city’, the Kilkenny Arts Festival has classical music at the core of its programme. Its eclectic mix of music is performed in the city’s historic churches, castle, courtyards, townhouses and gardens adding medieval magic to the experience.