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food-drink · Sunday 2 August 2026 · All day 
Lanesboro Gathering Festival
At Lanesborough Waterfront · Lanesborough, Co. Longford
At Lanesborough Waterfront · Lanesborough, Co. Longford
The Lanesboro Gathering Festival is a free, three-day community festival held on the banks of the River Shannon in Lanesborough, running each year over the August bank holiday weekend. It brings together live music, food and drink vendors, and family entertainment in one of County Longford’s most scenic settings. The waterfront location makes it a genuinely pleasant place to spend a summer weekend, and because entry is free throughout, it suits families, couples, and anyone passing through who wants to catch some local colour without planning ahead.
The festival runs from Friday 2 August to Sunday 4 August 2026, with activity spread across all three days. Food and drink vendors set up along the waterfront, covering everything from casual bites to local produce, and the bar scene in the village adds to the atmosphere in the evenings. Live music is a consistent thread through the weekend, with performances timed to carry the crowd from afternoon into the night.
Family entertainment runs alongside the music, making it a comfortable outing with children. The riverside setting does most of the work - the Shannon is wide and calm here, and the open ground along the waterfront gives the event an easy, unhurried pace. It is the kind of festival where you can sit with food in hand, watch the river, and let the day happen around you rather than chasing a schedule.
The Gathering format has roots in the Irish community festival tradition - events that bring people back to a place, reconnect locals with former residents, and fill the summer calendar with something that belongs to the village rather than a commercial promoter.
Lanesborough sits on the N63, roughly 20 km north-west of Athlone and about 25 km from Longford town. Coming from Dublin, the M6 motorway to Athlone and then the N55 north is the straightforward route - allow around two hours. From Longford town, it is a short drive west on the R392.
Bus Eireann serves the Longford - Athlone corridor and stops in Lanesborough; check current timetables at buseireann.ie. The village itself is compact and walkable once you arrive. Parking is available along the waterfront area and on side streets nearby; arrival before midday on the busiest day (Saturday) gives the best chance of a spot close to the action.
The village sits at the point where the Shannon opens into Lough Ree, and there is good fishing and boating access for those who want to make a full weekend of it. Rathcline Castle, a short distance from the village, is worth a look for anyone with an interest in the area’s history. There is more to see in Lanesborough and across Co. Longford.
Heading to Lanesborough Waterfront in Lanesborough? Longford has plenty more to see. Read the Lanesborough area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.