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music · Saturday 11 July 2026 · 4:00pm 
Kells Summerfest 2026 - In the Garden at Headfort Arms
At Headfort Arms Hotel · John Street, Kells, Co. Meath
At Headfort Arms Hotel · John Street, Kells, Co. Meath
On a Saturday evening in July, the garden of the Headfort Arms Hotel in Kells transforms into an outdoor country music party for Kells Summerfest 2026 - In the Garden. Two back-to-back tribute acts, a live outdoor bar and stone-baked pizzas make for a proper summer night out. If you enjoy outlaw country from the Waylon and Willie era or the modern blues-country sound of Chris Stapleton, this one is worth the trip.
The bill is split between two well-travelled tribute shows. The Highwaymen Reincarnated work through the catalogue of the original Highwaymen supergroup - Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson - covering the dark, rolling sound that defined outlaw country in the 1980s. Then Tennessee Whiskey - The Ultimate Chris Stapleton Tribute takes over, bringing the deep-voiced, blues-soaked country-rock that Stapleton has made his own over the past decade.
Doors open at 7pm and the show starts at 8pm sharp. Food and drink are on site throughout the night - the hotel sets up an outdoor bar and serves stone-baked pizzas in the garden. Country attire is encouraged, so if you have the boots and the hat, this is the occasion to wear them.
Kells sits on the N3, roughly an hour north-west of Dublin city centre by car. The town is well signposted from the motorway and there is parking in and around the town centre. Bus Eireann runs regular services between Dublin Busaras and Kells, with the stop a short walk from John Street where the Headfort Arms is located. If you are coming from Navan, it is a 20-minute drive on the R162.
Kells is an ancient monastic town and the Book of Kells was produced here before its later home in Trinity College Dublin. The Round Tower and High Crosses in the churchyard are among the best-preserved early Christian monuments in Ireland, and they are a five-minute walk from the hotel. There is more to see in Kells and across Co. Meath.
Heading to Headfort Arms Hotel in Kells? Meath has plenty more to see. Read the Kells area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.