Wexford Spiegeltent Festival

What to Expect

The Fortuna Spiegeltent goes up on Wexford’s quayfront every October to run alongside Wexford Festival Opera, giving the town a second, later-running strand of music and comedy inside the ornate mirrored-and-timber tent. The 2026 programme, promoted by Lantern, mixes contemporary singer-songwriters, comedy and nostalgia acts across more than two weeks: confirmed names include Cry Before Dawn, mentalist Keith Barry with his show Unhinged, Belfast trio The Scratch, comedian Chris Kent, singer-songwriter Gavin James, Northern Irish folk and soul artist Foy Vance, and closing-weekend shows from Paul Brady, comedian Deirdre O’Kane and Neil Delamere. Unlike the seated opera programme up the street at the National Opera House, several Spiegeltent shows are standing gigs, and the venue enforces strict over-16s or over-18s age limits depending on the act, so it is worth checking each individual listing before booking. The tent itself is one of the more distinctive festival venues in Ireland, an authentic touring spiegeltent with the raked timber floor, mirrored panels and canvas roof that give these structures their name and their intimate, cabaret-style atmosphere regardless of who is on stage.

Good to Know

• Runs Friday 16 to Saturday 31 October 2026 in the Fortuna Spiegeltent on Wexford’s quayfront.
• Confirmed acts include Cry Before Dawn, Keith Barry, The Scratch, Chris Kent, Gavin James, Foy Vance, Paul Brady, Deirdre O’Kane and Neil Delamere, with most shows on individual nights across the run.
• Tickets are sold per show through wexfordspiegeltent.com; the promoter, Lantern, can also be reached on info@lantern.ie or 086 609 4984.
• Age restrictions vary by show, over-16s or strictly over-18s, and some shows are standing rather than seated, so check the listing for the specific act before travelling.
• Runs in the same fortnight as Wexford Festival Opera, so the two festivals effectively share the town for the back half of October.

Getting There

The Spiegeltent is set up on Wexford’s quayfront in the town centre, close to the train station and within walking distance of the National Opera House and main car parks. Wexford is about 1 hour 40 minutes from Dublin on the N11/M11, with Irish Rail and Bus Éireann both serving the town directly.