Bualadh Bos Children's Festival

Bualadh Bos Children’s Festival returns to Limerick city from Thursday 1 to Sunday 11 October 2026, spreading eleven days of theatre made specifically for young audiences across Lime Tree Theatre and Belltable. The festival, curated by Liam McCarthy, opens its programme with two international productions, one from Galway and one from Sweden, before the rest of the two-week schedule is confirmed in September. It is one of the few festivals in Ireland built entirely around children as the audience rather than as an afterthought.

What to expect

The opening weekend pairs two very different shows. At Belltable, Swedish company Teater Pero brings “Aston’s Stones” from Thursday 1 to Saturday 3 October, a visual, largely wordless piece well suited to younger children. Across town at Lime Tree Theatre, Galway company Branar stages “How to Catch a Star” on Friday 2 and Saturday 3 October, adapted from Oliver Jeffers’ picture book about a boy who wants to catch a star from the night sky. Both venues run school-time performances on weekdays for booked class groups, with public family performances at the weekend. The festival is funded by the JP McManus Benevolent Fund, the Arts Council’s Festivals Investment Scheme and Limerick City and County Council, and it has launched a Pay It Forward campaign so that families who could not otherwise afford tickets can attend for free. The remaining shows across the second week of the festival, running through to Sunday 11 October, are due to be announced by Lime Tree Theatre and Belltable in September 2026.

Getting there

Lime Tree Theatre sits on the Mary Immaculate College campus off the South Circular Road, about a fifteen-minute walk from Limerick city centre. Belltable is in the city centre itself on O’Connell Street, close to Colbert Station and the main shopping streets. Both venues share a central box office on 061 953 400, and both are on regular Bus Éireann city routes.

While you’re in Limerick

Both festival venues are close to the rest of what the city has to offer, from the Milk Market to King John’s Castle on the river. There is more to see in Limerick and across Co. Limerick.

Good to know

• Thursday 1 to Sunday 11 October 2026
• Venues: Lime Tree Theatre (Mary Immaculate College) and Belltable, O’Connell Street
• “Aston’s Stones” (Teater Pero, Sweden): Belltable, 1 to 3 October
• “How to Catch a Star” (Branar): Lime Tree Theatre, 2 to 3 October
• Full programme and ticket prices released September 2026 at limetreebelltable.ie
• Pay It Forward scheme supports free tickets for families who need them