With one week to go before the 2025 Galway Folk Festival, excitement is building as the city transforms into a vibrant hub of folk, roots, and traditional music.
Next week, from Wednesday, June 4, until Sunday, June 8, Galway city will host top national and international acts, intimate performances, and fireside conversations, along with daytime community events.
This year’s Galway Folk Festival is the largest yet, featuring over 60 live performances across five days and six stages.
One of the festival’s most anticipated highlights, Kíla, will perform at Monroe’s Live on Saturday, June 7, with doors open from 7pm.
As trailblazers of fiery folk-rock and world music, Kíla has been combining Gaelic traditional with a map of international sounds since the late 1980s. Their music is a whirlwind of djembe, congas, brass, and bass, with deep roots in Irish heritage, and an exhilarating edge of international influence.
Adding to their distinguished career, Kíla’s credits include an Emmy-nominated score for Ireland’s Wild River and significant contributions to Oscar-nominated animations such as The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea.
Their headline slot promises an evening where tradition meets tribal energy.
Kíla’s show is part of a packed Saturday programme that includes performances from NXNW, a trad supergroup of four top, Irish musicians, and the soulful folk-jazz stylings of Eve Clague, alongside the melodic tradition of BackWest and the earthy indie-folk of Australian duo Saije.
Doors open at 7pm, with tickets priced at €25 plus booking fee.
And the music doesn’t stop there. From 11pm on Saturday, June 7, the Late-Night Festival Club takes over with a live set from Hat Fitz & Cara, Australia’s roots-music power duo, and a festival DJ.
Known for their raw, blues-soaked energy and rich vocal harmonies, their late-night set promises an atmospheric close to the day. Tickets for the festival club are €12 plus booking fee.
The 2025 festival also line-up includes Lloyd Cole, Mercury-nominated Fionn Regan, The Scratch, Martha Wainwright, Project Smok, Seanchoíche, and Daoirí Farrell. Each bringing their distinctive style and sound to stages across the city.
Other exciting acts include seasoned performer Seán Keane; folk fusion band, Billow Wood; contemporary folk harpist BRÍDÍN; Briars, who unite dark, folksy instrumentals with post-punk and baroque pop, and many more performers.
The weekend daytime schedule is packed with free events. From The Market Stage hosted by Cuppa Tea TV to Culture Vultures with Tony Clayton-Lea and the Youth in Music stage highlighting rising folk talent: Galway will be alive with sound and conversation.
Pop-up shows, stalls within the Tiny Traders Village, The Little Room of Folk and the Westend Sessions add to the family-friendly atmosphere, creating a festival that is as much about community, as it is about performance.
This mix of established international talents and home-grown Irish artists reflects the festival’s dual commitment to tradition and innovation, a celebration of heritage, creativity, and live performance.
Early booking is encouraged.
Tickets for all events are available through the festival's official website, www.galwayfolkfestival.com and www.monroes.ie
