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family · Friday 10 July 2026 · 16:00 
Horizon Festival Ballybunion
At Ballybunion Town Centre · Main Street, Ballybunion, Co. Kerry
At Ballybunion Town Centre · Main Street, Ballybunion, Co. Kerry
Ballybunion gets its first purpose-built beach festival this July when Horizon Festival takes over a clifftop site above the Atlantic for a three-day run of live music, DJ sets and outdoor entertainment. This is a proper ticketed festival - not a free street event - with a covered Big Top arena engineered for full production: sound, lighting, and a lineup of well-known Irish acts that sold out its early-bird allocation within the hour. If you are planning a summer trip to north Kerry and fancy finishing it with a festival weekend, this is the one to build the visit around.
The festival runs Friday 10 July through Sunday 12 July, each day from 4pm to 11:30pm (doors open at 3:30pm). The centrepiece is a Big Top tent on a beach-top site overlooking the Atlantic - covered enough to take on any Kerry weather, open enough to keep the coastal atmosphere. A secondary Horizon Stage runs acts throughout, and there are food trucks, outdoor bars and chill-out areas spread across the site.
The Friday lineup opens with Super Céilí, The Rising and The Highstool Prophets. Saturday brings Electrad, The Circus Ponies and Jenny Greene. Sunday closes out with Bingo Loco and a late set from DJ Martin Guilfoyle. The organisers describe it as a mix of live acts, DJs and crowd favourites - the kind of bill where you will recognise most names without being sure exactly what to expect, which tends to make for a lively crowd. The advice is to arrive early and stay late rather than treating it as a gig to pop into.
This is an over-19s event throughout. Valid photo ID is required - passport, driving licence, Garda Age Card or national identity card. No exceptions.
Ballybunion sits on the northwest Kerry coast, about 35 km from Tralee along the N21 and R553. From Limerick, allow roughly 90 minutes via the N21 through Abbeyfeale and Listowel. There is no direct public transport to Ballybunion, so a car or a taxi from Listowel or Tralee is the practical option for most people coming from outside Kerry. Festival-weekend parking in a small seaside town fills up quickly - arriving before the 3:30pm door time makes finding a spot significantly easier.
Ballybunion is a proper seaside town with two beaches, sea caves, and one of the most celebrated links golf courses in Ireland - worth a day of exploration before the festival kicks off each evening. There is more to see in Ballybunion and across Co. Kerry.
Heading to Ballybunion Town Centre in Ballybunion? Kerry has plenty more to see. Read the Ballybunion area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.