Art Faoin Aer Festival

Art Faoin Aer, Irish for “art under the sky”, returns to Belvedere House and Gardens for a second year, running as a season of plein air visual arts programming through to Sunday, 27 September 2026. Following a sell-out inaugural festival in August 2025, the 2026 edition is led by Westmeath-based artists and designers Andrea Cullen, Hilary Kinahan, Richie Clarke and Tommy Bolger, with a public launch, an on-site painting festival and events across the county built around the aim of getting more people painting, drawing and looking at art outdoors.

What to expect

At the heart of the programme is a two-day on-site festival where artists set up easels around the Belvedere estate and create work in public over the course of a weekend, watched by visitors free to wander between them. Around that core event, the organisers run a Creative Village with hands-on workshops and demonstrations, free sketchbooks for visitors who want to try sketching themselves, live music and a live broadcast, plus a dedicated Children and Youth strand offering free participation for younger visitors. The festival is aimed squarely at increasing public access to visual art and supporting midlands-based artists, rather than being a gallery-style exhibition, so expect an outdoor, drop-in atmosphere across the Belvedere grounds rather than a single ticketed show.

Getting there

Belvedere House Gardens & Park is around 5km from Mullingar town centre on the shore of Lough Ennell, best reached by car with on-site parking. Mullingar has its own railway station on the Dublin to Sligo line and regular bus services from Dublin, with a short taxi ride on to the estate.

While you’re in Mullingar

Belvedere’s grounds make an easy full day out on their own, and it is a short hop back into Mullingar for food or a look around the town afterwards. There is more to see and do in Mullingar and across Co. Westmeath.

Good to know

• Programme runs: 22 May to Sunday, 27 September 2026, with the main on-site festival weekend within that period
• Venue: Belvedere House Gardens & Park, Mullingar
• Price: children and youth participation is free; check the festival’s listing for general admission details closer to the date
• Led by: Andrea Cullen, Hilary Kinahan, Richie Clarke and Tommy Bolger
• Booking: details via the Creative Ireland Westmeath events listing