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festivals · Friday 21 August 2026 · 1:00 PM 
Invertopia - The Spineless Wonders Festival
At Russborough House · Russborough House, Blessington, Co. Wicklow
At Russborough House · Russborough House, Blessington, Co. Wicklow
Ireland’s first festival dedicated entirely to insects and invertebrates takes over the 200-acre grounds of Russborough House for a full August weekend. Organised by Brian Murray of microWild Events, Invertopia is pitched squarely at families and anyone who has ever wondered what is actually crawling, flying, and burrowing through the Irish countryside. It runs Friday to Sunday, so you can dip in for an afternoon or commit to the whole weekend - on-site camping is available for those who want to stay.
The programme runs from morning through to late evening, mixing expert-led talks with hands-on activities that actually let you get involved. Friday evening opens with the Critter Shed Podcast recorded live with special guests, followed by a Night Safari guided walk to see what emerges after dark. Saturday morning starts with the overnight moth traps being opened - a genuine surprise each time - and moves into a habitat-making workshop where you build bee hotels to take home. A BioBlitz competition runs through the day, with participants catching and recording as many invertebrate species as they can across the estate’s woodland, wetland, and grassland. There is a bat walk in the evening. Sunday brings pond exploration, a woodlice identification session, a museum entomology talk, and a kids’ science poster competition. Biodiversity arts and crafts run as a drop-in throughout all three days.
The estate’s mix of habitats - woodland edges, wetland margins, rough grassland - gives the activities real substance. These are not managed zoo enclosures; the species are genuinely wild and the finds are unpredictable.
Russborough House sits just off the N81, roughly 3 km south of Blessington town, and is about 40 km south-west of Dublin city centre - typically 45 to 55 minutes by car depending on traffic. Free on-site parking is available. By bus, Dublin Bus route 65 runs from Dublin city (Pearse Street area) to Blessington; from the town it is a short drive or a 30-minute walk to the house. If you are coming from Cork or Waterford direction, the N81 runs north through Baltinglass and Blessington.
The Blessington Lakes - the reservoir created by the Poulaphouca dam in the 1940s - are a five-minute drive from Russborough and worth a stop for the views. There is more to see in Blessington and across Co. Wicklow.
Heading to Russborough House in Blessington? Wicklow has plenty more to see. Read the Blessington area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.