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family · Sunday 9 August 2026 · Various 
Ballinamore Family Festival 2026
At Ballinamore town · Ballinamore, Co. Leitrim
At Ballinamore town · Ballinamore, Co. Leitrim
The Ballinamore Family Festival is one of the last true week-long community festivals left in Ireland, and 2026 marks its 60th year. Running from Sunday 9th to Sunday 16th August, it fills the town of Ballinamore with free open-air concerts, children’s activities, water sports, and street craic every single day. If you have young children in tow or you simply want a proper traditional Irish festival without paying for a wristband, this is a genuinely rare find.
The evenings belong to the Main Street stage, where free concerts run nightly from around 8 or 9pm. The 2026 line-up spans country, folk and pop: Qween open on Sunday, followed across the week by The Wren Boys, Sean Magee, High Stool Prophets, Mike Denver, Derek Ryan, Rhythm & Sticks, and Johnny Brady closing on the final Sunday. Patrick Feeney performs on the opening day.
Days are packed with family events: children’s sports and GAA competitions, treasure hunts, a teddy bear picnic, arts and crafts, a duck hunt, and a funfair. Water activities take advantage of the Ballinamore-Ballyconnell Canal, which runs straight through the town. There is also a street market, a leisurely guided cycle, a pub quiz, a céilí, and an agricultural day for those who want a taste of rural Leitrim life. The festival committee runs the whole thing on a community volunteer basis - which gives it a warmth that larger commercial events rarely manage.
Ballinamore sits on the R202, roughly 20 km south-east of Carrick-on-Shannon. By car from Dublin it is about two hours via the N4/M4 and then south through Carrick. From Enniskillen it is around 40 minutes via the A34 and R202. There is no direct rail service to Ballinamore; Bus Éireann runs limited services through north Leitrim but a car is the practical option for most visitors. Parking is available on the streets around the town and in the wider car parks nearby - the town is small enough that nothing is far from the Main Street stage.
The town sits on the Shannon-Erne Waterway, which makes it a natural stop for anyone exploring the canal by barge or kayak - hire options are available locally. There is more to see in Ballinamore and across Co. Leitrim.
Heading to Ballinamore town in Ballinamore? Leitrim has plenty more to see. Read the Ballinamore area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.