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seasonal · Friday 25 September 2026 · Various 
Castlebar Comic Festival
At Multiple venues in Castlebar · Castlebar, Co. Mayo
At Multiple venues in Castlebar · Castlebar, Co. Mayo
Castlebar Comic Festival is a fortnight of free creative events anchored in Mayo County Library, running from late September into early October each year. It draws in children, teenagers and adults alike - anyone who has ever been curious about comics, graphic novels, zines, or the art of visual storytelling. The festival is funded through Creative Ireland and Mayo County Council, and it has the feel of a genuinely community-rooted event rather than a commercial production. If you have kids who doodle in the margins of their schoolbooks, teenagers who would benefit from a proper creative outlet, or if you are an adult who has always fancied trying your hand at a comic strip, this is the fortnight to show up.
Workshops run throughout the two weeks, led by local Mayo-based artists and national facilitators. Past editions have included comic creation sessions broken into age groups (typically 5-8, 9-12, and teens), adventure story writing, character design, and sketchbook clubs. Teens get dedicated evening sessions - previous years featured a showcase of zines created in partnership with Foróige, and later in the evening, Sketchbook Club, Board Game Club, and Creative Writing ran in parallel.
Digital creativity gets its own strand, delivered through the Foróige Hub Digital Programmes initiative, which has included virtual reality experiences, coding workshops, and art-through-technology sessions. Lego building and Dungeons and Dragons gameplay have appeared on the programme too, which gives the festival a broad enough range that it rarely feels like it is only for one type of person.
Most workshops are free, though some sessions require booking in advance. Contact the festival team directly at comicfest@mayococo.ie to confirm which sessions need a place reserved.
Castlebar is the county town of Mayo and well connected by road. From Westport it is about 25 minutes on the N60; from Ballina, around 25-30 minutes on the N26. Bus Eireann operates routes connecting Castlebar to Galway, Ballina, Westport, and Dublin, with stops near the town centre. The library itself sits in the town centre and is within easy walking distance of the main bus stops. Parking is available in the town centre car parks nearby.
Castlebar has a compact and walkable town centre, with cafes and restaurants worth exploring before or after a workshop session. The surrounding countryside - Lough Lannagh is a short walk from the library - is worth a stretch of the legs. There is more to see in Castlebar and across Co. Mayo.
Heading to Multiple venues in Castlebar in Castlebar? Mayo has plenty more to see. Read the Castlebar area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.