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music · Saturday 25 July 2026 · various 
Castlerea Rose Festival
At Somers Park · Castlerea, Co. Roscommon
At Somers Park · Castlerea, Co. Roscommon
The Castlerea Rose Festival is one of the longest-running community festivals in the west of Ireland, with close to 25 years on the calendar and a Best Irish Festival award at the 2024 LAMA Awards. Running from Saturday 25 July to Sunday 2 August 2026, it fills nine days with live music, street events, family days, and a general sense that Castlerea is the best place in Connacht to be at the end of July. It suits families with young children, music fans after an affordable night out, and anyone who wants a proper small-town festival rather than a corporate one.
The festival is anchored at Somers Park, the main green space in town, where outdoor concerts and family fun days take place across the week. Past editions have featured tribute nights - Queen and Oasis acts among them - alongside local musicians and the Castlerea Brass and Reed Band. Ticketed evening concerts have typically started from around €10 for adults.
Beyond the music there is plenty going on through the day: dinosaur shows, children’s art mornings, trad sessions in local pubs, a biodiversity walk, a historical photo exhibition, and the festival’s tradition of genuinely odd fun - duck racing, pig racing, and mouse racing all have form here. A Mardi Gras parade with floats and giant inflatables usually opens the week.
The Run With The Roses is one of the most popular standalone events: a 5km timed road run plus a 1km children’s run, typically held on the opening weekend. Entry is around €10 for adults; children run for a donation. It is sociable rather than competitive and draws people of all abilities.
The full 2026 programme will be published at castlerearosefestival.com closer to the date.
Castlerea sits on the N60, roughly midway between Roscommon town and Claremorris, about 160km from Dublin and 90km from Galway. The town has a train station on the Dublin Heuston - Westport/Ballina line, making it one of the more accessible festival towns in Connacht without a car. Parking in Castlerea is free and plentiful on local roads and town car parks, and the town centre is compact enough to walk between venues.
Clonalis House, just outside town, is one of the great ancestral homes of the west and opens to visitors in summer - worth adding to the trip. There is more to see in Castlerea and across Co. Roscommon.
Heading to Somers Park in Castlerea? Roscommon has plenty more to see. Read the Castlerea area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.