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festivals · Sunday 4 October 2026 · Various 
Ballinasloe International October Fair & Festival 2026
At The Fairgreen · Society Street, Ballinasloe, Co. Galway
At The Fairgreen · Society Street, Ballinasloe, Co. Galway
Ballinasloe hosts what is generally reckoned to be Europe’s oldest horse fair, an eight-day event expected to run from Sunday 4 to Sunday 11 October 2026 and now approaching its 303rd year. The town’s name comes from the Irish “Béal Átha na Sluaighe,” said to mean “the ford-mouth of the hostings,” a nod to a gathering tradition on this site that long predates written record. The fair has long been a fixture for Ireland’s Traveller community, whose involvement is central to its history, and it is often compared to England’s Appleby Horse Fair for its scale and significance. In the nineteenth century, The Times of London called it “the grandest in the British empire.” It suits anyone curious about working horses, street fair tradition, or an Irish festival that has not been reshaped for tourists.
The equestrian side runs across three days, expected as Sunday and Monday, 4 and 5 October, and again on Saturday 10 October, when every breed from Connemara ponies to Irish draught horses is bought, sold and shown on the Fairgreen. The festival dates proper, 9 to 11 October, bring street stalls, a vintage and street parade, tug-o-war, fireworks, live music, and arts and crafts stalls into the town centre alongside the horse trading. Around 85,000 visitors are drawn to Ballinasloe over the full event most years. The closing Sunday is Kids Day, with a Best Fairy Garden and Lego Display competition, a junior bakery contest, magic shows, balloon modelling, a dog show, and a Junior Tractor Derby at 4pm, all free to enter.
Ballinasloe sits on the N6 Galway to Dublin road, roughly 40km east of Galway city and about 130km from the capital, close to two hours’ drive from Dublin. The town has its own railway station on the Dublin Heuston to Galway line, and Bus Éireann expressway coaches also stop in the town centre, making it straightforward to reach without a car. The Fairgreen and Society Street are within easy walking distance of the station.
Heading to The Fairgreen in Ballinasloe? Galway has plenty more to see. Read the Ballinasloe area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.
In town for The Fairgreen? These Galway tours book out in summer.