Ballinasloe International Horse Fair

What to Expect

The Ballinasloe International Horse Fair, universally known locally as the October Fair, is reputed to be the oldest horse fair in Europe, tracing back to the 18th century and marking its 300th anniversary in 2022 after the 2020 and 2021 events were cancelled during Covid restrictions. What started as a general agricultural and livestock fair has narrowed in focus over the centuries to horses specifically, and the modern event now draws up to 80,000 visitors over its eight-day run across the Fair Green and the wider town centre. At its core it is still a working horse fair: dealers, breeders and buyers come from across Ireland and beyond to trade horses and ponies in the open air on the Fair Green, much as they have for generations, alongside a large general market of stalls. Around that trading core, the town builds a full festival programme for the week, including a dog show, fireworks displays, and a funfair with rides and sideshows set up beside the town’s theatre. The scale and history of the event make it one of the genuine set-piece dates on the East Galway calendar, and the town’s population swells noticeably for the week as the fair pulls in traders, buyers and spectators from well outside the county.

Good to Know

• Runs 4 to 11 October 2026, an eight-day event
• Free general access to the Fair Green, horse trading and town centre events
• Funfair rides and some individual attractions are paid separately on the day
• Venue: Ballinasloe Fair Green and town centre
• Features horse and pony trading, a general market, a dog show and fireworks
• One of Europe’s oldest horse fairs, dating to the 18th century
• Expect large crowds and heavy town-centre traffic for the full week

Getting There

Ballinasloe sits on the River Suck in the easternmost part of County Galway, directly on the M6 Galway to Dublin motorway, and has its own railway station on the Galway to Dublin line, both of which make it straightforward to reach without a car during fair week. Expect on-street parking in the town centre to fill quickly given the scale of the event; arriving by train or bus and walking into the Fair Green from the station is the more reliable option for the busiest days.