← All events
arts · Friday 31 July 2026 · Various 
Cahersiveen Music and Arts Festival
At Cahersiveen · Cahersiveen, Co. Kerry
At Cahersiveen · Cahersiveen, Co. Kerry
The Cahersiveen Music and Arts Festival has been running every August Bank Holiday weekend since 1995 - 2026 marks its 29th year. That longevity in a small South Kerry town says something real: this is not a tourist-facing spectacle but a community event that locals, returning emigrants, and regular visitors plan their summer around. Three days of live music, a serious visual arts programme, and a town that fills with noise from Friday evening. It suits couples, families, and anyone who wants a genuine festival atmosphere without big-city prices.
Music is the backbone. The festival books three headline acts for three nights, typically spanning country, folk, rock, and traditional Irish music - past headliners have included Aslan, Hot House Flowers, Paul Brady, and Ronnie Drew. Alongside the main stage, the pubs and bars run trad sessions that are as much a part of the weekend as any ticketed event.
The arts strand is taken seriously. Developed in partnership with Ciarraí Art Nexus, it covers exhibitions and installations, live sculpting, theatre, performance art, artist talks, and guided trails through the town. Friday evening opens with a fireworks display. There are also busking competitions for different age groups and family-friendly activities across the weekend.
Adult weekend wristbands cost €30; children’s wristbands have been held at €5 since 2004 - a deliberate choice by a volunteer committee that has kept this festival running for nearly three decades without outside commercial backing.
Cahersiveen sits on the N70, the Ring of Kerry road, about 85 km south of Tralee and 65 km from Killarney. By car from Dublin, allow around four hours; from Cork, closer to two and a half. There is no direct rail link - Bus Eireann reaches Killarney, from where you need a car for the final stretch. Parking in town fills quickly on festival weekend; arriving before midday or parking on the outskirts and walking is the sensible approach.
Valentia Island sits directly across the water, reachable by cable car, and the Skellig Experience visitor centre there covers the monastic history of Skellig Michael without needing a boat trip. There is more to see in Cahersiveen and across Co. Kerry.
Heading to Cahersiveen? Kerry has plenty more to see. Browse the area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.