← All events
family · Friday 10 July 2026 · Various 
Earagail Arts Festival
At Multiple venues across County Donegal · Letterkenny, Gaoth Dobhair, Lifford, Donegal Town and throughout the county
At Multiple venues across County Donegal · Letterkenny, Gaoth Dobhair, Lifford, Donegal Town and throughout the county
The Earagail Arts Festival has been running since 1988, making it one of the longest-established arts festivals in Ireland. For 16 days each July it spreads across County Donegal - Letterkenny, Gaoth Dobhair, Lifford, Donegal Town, island communities, beaches, and streets. The 2026 edition is the 39th. It pitches itself firmly at families as well as arts audiences: circus, street arts, workshops, world music, theatre, dance, and visual arts all running side by side. If you have children and want a festival where plenty is genuinely aimed at them, this is the one.
The circus and street arts strand is the family backbone of EAF. The 2026 programme expands circus performances and workshops to Letterkenny, Gaoth Dobhair, and for the first time Lifford and Donegal Town. Family circus tickets are around €30 for five, making them good value. One confirmed highlight is a Clown Workshop led by Fraser Hooper at the Regional Cultural Centre in Letterkenny on Saturday 18 July - open to all ages. Music runs in parallel, with international artists from Mauritania, Wales, Scotland, and the US alongside Irish and Donegal acts. Theatre includes companies such as Los Galindos and the Fanzini Brothers in characterful venues including Glebe House and the Old Courthouse in Lifford. Visual arts events run in galleries and public spaces, many free. Free outdoor contemporary dance performances include work on Gola Island.
Letterkenny sits on the N13/N14, roughly 35 minutes from Derry and about 2.5 hours from Dublin via the N2. Bus Eireann runs services from Dublin and other towns into Letterkenny Bus Station. For venues beyond Letterkenny, a car is practical - public transport across rural Donegal is limited. Town-centre car parks are plentiful and weekend parking is generally easy.
Letterkenny is Donegal’s county town - useful as a base for the wider festival and for exploring a county that covers a lot of varied ground. There is more to see in Letterkenny and across Co. Donegal.
Heading to Multiple venues across County Donegal in Letterkenny? Donegal has plenty more to see. Read the Letterkenny area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.