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festivals · Thursday 30 July 2026 · Various 
Belturbet Festival of the Erne 2026
At Belturbet Town and Marina · Main Street and Belturbet Marina, Belturbet, Co. Cavan
At Belturbet Town and Marina · Main Street and Belturbet Marina, Belturbet, Co. Cavan
Every August Bank Holiday weekend, Belturbet gathers itself around the River Erne for five days of outdoor music, water antics, marching bands, and fireworks. The Festival of the Erne is one of the largest community festivals in County Cavan - and one of the few that genuinely involves the river at its heart. Families, locals, and visitors from across the Cavan-Fermanagh border area come together for a programme that is deliberately broad: there is live music for the evenings, a children’s programme that runs right through the week, and a big open-air family day at the marina to close things out on the August Monday. If you are looking for a proper small-town Irish festival rather than a corporate ticketed event, this is a good example of what that looks like.
The programme spans five days - Thursday 30 July through to Monday 3 August 2026 - and covers a wide range of events. Live local bands play through the festival, and marching bands are a regular feature of the street events. A float parade moves through Belturbet town centre, and a fancy dress competition draws good numbers each year.
The Lady of the Erne competition is one of the longer-standing traditions of the festival, and gives it something of a classic country-town feel. Children have their own full programme: a teddy bears’ picnic, a treasure hunt, a children’s disco, and a bonny baby competition are among the recurring features, alongside pig racing - always popular with families.
The Monday afternoon Funday by the Erne at Belturbet Marina is the week’s highlight for many. This is a large outdoor family fun day beside the water, with a wide spread of outdoor activities. The festival closes with a fireworks display over the Erne - a fitting end for an event so tied to the river.
Many events within the festival are free to attend. Some activities or ticketed events carry a separate charge; check the official Discover Belturbet website closer to the date for the full programme and any booking requirements.
Belturbet sits on the R201 road, roughly 20km north of Cavan Town, close to the Fermanagh border. The N3 from Dublin reaches Cavan Town in around two hours, with Belturbet a short drive north from there. Bus Eireann operates services from Cavan Town into Belturbet. Parking is available in the town centre and around the marina area - expect it to be busier on the Monday family day and for the fireworks.
Belturbet is a small market town on the Upper Erne, and the river itself is the main draw outside festival time - popular with anglers and leisure boaters. The surrounding Cavan lakeland is worth a few extra hours if you can spare them. There is more to see in Belturbet and across Co. Cavan.
Heading to Belturbet Town and Marina in Belturbet? Cavan has plenty more to see. Read the Belturbet area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.