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festivals · Friday 17 July 2026 · Various 
The Soma Festival
At Castlewellan Forest Park · Castlewellan, Co. Down
At Castlewellan Forest Park · Castlewellan, Co. Down
The Soma Festival is a volunteer-run gathering that takes over Castlewellan Forest Park for three days each July, weaving together live music, traditional sessions, wellness activities, art, and local food and drink. It suits anyone who wants a festival that feels rooted in a place rather than dropped into one - the woodland setting does a lot of the work, and the programme rewards wandering as much as sitting in front of a stage. Families with children, music lovers, and people drawn to the slow-travel end of things will all find something that fits.
The festival runs across multiple areas of the forest park, so the experience is spread out rather than concentrated around a single stage. Live concerts sit alongside pub sessions and music workshops, which means you can move between watching performers and joining in yourself. The Soma Body and Soul strand brings well-being professionals to the site for a mix of free and ticketed activities - the kind of thing that works well in a woodland clearing first thing in the morning. Art exhibitions are woven through the programme, and the food and drink vendors lean on local producers. Language events are also part of the mix. It is a full weekend rather than a single day out, and the atmosphere is shaped by the fact that it is run by volunteers who care about the thing they have built.
Castlewellan Forest Park is one of the finest tree and shrub collections in the north of Ireland, with a mile-long lake, a Victorian castle, the Peace Maze, and walking trails through woodland that ranges from old estate planting to rare conifers in the Annesley Walled Garden. The festival takes that setting seriously rather than just using it as a backdrop.
Castlewellan sits in the Mourne foothills in Co. Down, about 45 minutes south of Belfast by road. From Belfast take the A24 through Ballynahinch and Seaforde, then the A25 into town. From Dublin take the M1 to Newry, then the A25 north. The forest park entrance is on the edge of town and is well signed. Car parking costs £5 per vehicle - expect it to be busy during the festival weekend, so arriving early or allowing extra time is sensible. Translink runs services between Newry, Downpatrick and surrounding towns; check their timetable for the nearest stop to Castlewellan.
The town itself sits on the edge of the Mourne Mountains, with Slieve Croob rising to the north and the full Mourne range visible on clear days to the south. The forest park is reason enough to linger beyond the festival. There is more to see in Castlewellan and across Co. Down.
Heading to Castlewellan Forest Park in Castlewellan? Down has plenty more to see. Read the Castlewellan area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.