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markets · Saturday 5 September 2026 · 10:00am 
Brassfest at the Buttermarket
At The Buttermarket · Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh
At The Buttermarket · Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh
Brassfest is a free outdoor brass band competition and festival that takes the historic Buttermarket courtyard in Enniskillen and fills it with music from 10am to 6pm on a September Saturday. Seventeen bands perform back to back through the day - local silver bands from Fermanagh villages sit alongside ensembles travelling from Drogheda, Dungannon, and beyond. If you have ever enjoyed a brass band performance and want to hear one at its best, this is a rare chance to hear seventeen of them in a single afternoon, all for free, in one of the town’s most attractive outdoor spaces.
The programme runs in thirty-minute slots. The day opens with Maguiresbridge Silver at 10am and builds steadily through a mix of local bands - Letterbreen, Ballyreagh, Murley, Churchhill, St Mary’s Tempo - and visiting ensembles from further afield, including Drogheda Brass and Downshire Brass. The National Youth Brass Band of Northern Ireland, newly formed, closes the day on stage at 6pm.
Each band plays its own concert programme in a judged competition format, so there is a competitive edge running through the afternoon. Results are announced later in the evening at a social in Charlie’s Bar, where a jazz set rounds off the day for those who stay on.
The Buttermarket itself adds to the occasion. The courtyard dates to around 1835, when it was a working dairy market. Rescued from demolition in the early 1980s, it was restored and reopened in 1991 as an arts and craft centre. The enclosed space has good acoustics for open-air performance, and the surrounding craft units and a coffee shop are open through the day - worth a browse between sets.
Enniskillen sits at the centre of Co. Fermanagh on the A4, roughly equidistant between Omagh to the north-east and Sligo to the south. From Dublin the drive is around two and a half hours; from Belfast, about an hour and a half. Bus Eireann and Translink both serve Enniskillen from Dublin and Belfast respectively. The Buttermarket is a short walk from the town centre bus stops. Town centre car parks are within easy walking distance of the venue.
September is a fine time to visit Fermanagh - the lakelands are quieter than midsummer and the light is good. Enniskillen Castle, Belleek Pottery, and the lough cruises are all worth adding to the day. There is more to see in Enniskillen and across Co. Fermanagh.
Heading to The Buttermarket in Enniskillen? Fermanagh has plenty more to see. Read the Enniskillen area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.