The 2026 Galway Folk Festival will include more than 80 acts over five days in 11 venues across the city, from June 3.
Headliners have already been announced, but last week more than 50 artists were added to the bill.
Newly announced highlights for the festival, now in its fifth year, include Dylan Flynn & The Dead Poets, Chris Brain, Driven Snow, Kenan Flannery, Roving Crows, Tessio, and Yonder Boys.
The headline artists for 2026 are The Divine Comedy, Richard Thompson, Damien Dempsey, Lisa O’Neill and Jamie McIntyre, alongside returning festival friends Hothouse Flowers, Niall McCabe, CLADA and Seán Keane.
Alongside established festival locations such as Monroe's Live, Town Hall Theatre and the Black Box, four new venues will join the programme, staging performances across the weekend: Leisureland, St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church, Taylor’s Bar and Carroll’s Bar.
From June 3 to June 7, the festival will present a mix of headline concerts, intimate seated shows, late-night sessions and a free-to-attend daytime programme.
The expanded line-up brings together a broad range of Irish and international artists, including Muireann Bradley, Flyte, RÓIS, Bill Ryder-Jones, Brìghde Chaimbeul, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, Ríognach Connolly & Honeyfeet, Nadia Reid, Padraig Jack, Without Willow and many more.
The festival’s free daytime programme will again play a central role, with the return of Cuppa Tea TV, who will host an outdoor stage across Saturday and Sunday. Tony Clayton-Lea also returns for a fifth consecutive year with Culture Vultures, curating a series of conversations and events across the weekend.
Additional elements of the daytime programme include Westend Sessions and Youth in Music.
“Reaching our 5th year is a huge moment for the festival”, says festival director Peter O’Sullivan. “Galway Folk Festival has always been about community, connection and great music, and for 2026 we wanted to celebrate that by inviting back some familiar faces while continuing to introduce new artists to Galway audiences.”
His sentiments was echoed by fellow director Gary Monroe. “This feels like a real milestone year for us. We hope you’ll come celebrate with us.”
Full artist list and tickets available online.
