Headfest will return to Headford from Wednesday, May 27 to Monday, June 1 for what organisers say will be the biggest and most ambitious festival in the event’s 15-year history.
What began as a small local festival has grown steadily over the past decade and a half into one of the largest community-run events in the region, attracting thousands of visitors to Headford across the June Bank Holiday weekend each year.
Entirely volunteer-run, Headfest is organised by a dedicated local committee who work year-round to deliver a programme celebrating community, supporting local organisations and businesses and providing a major economic and social boost for the town and surrounding areas. Organisers say all money generated from the festival is reinvested into community projects locally.
This year’s six-day programme will feature music, sport, heritage, food, biodiversity, family entertainment, wellness activities and community gatherings, with a particular focus on celebrating Lough Corrib and the communities connected to it.
Music remains at the heart of the festival, with four nights of live entertainment planned in Monaghan’s Mega Marquee. The music programme begins on Thursday night with the Elevate local talent showcase, providing a platform for emerging performers from the area.
The weekend line-up includes performances from Jenny Greene, Derek Warfield & The Young Wolfe Tones, All Folk’d Up, Qween Tribute Band, Ruaile Buaile, Tradstone, The JAB Band and Tav Jam Band.
Sport will once again play a central role in the festival, led by the return of the popular Headfest Fittest Parish Challenge on Sunday. The Headfest 8K Road Race also returns for its second year on Friday evening, alongside girls’ football blitzes and competitions, the Mattie Reddington U12 Cup, the Anglers Rest Cup and a Muay Thai exhibition.
The annual Tractor, Truck and Vintage Run will take place on Saturday at 3pm in aid of this year’s chosen charity, Cancer Care West.
A wide range of family and wellness events are also planned across the weekend, including the Headfest Kids Variety Show, Maker Bear workshops, children’s yoga, mammy and baby yoga, sound bath sessions, Yogalates classes and the annual McGaugh’s gardening competition.
Food and local enterprise will also feature prominently, with the annual Food and Craft Fair taking place across Saturday and Sunday alongside SOLAS Multicultural Day, celebrating the diversity of the local community.
Festivalgoers will also notice colourful knitted and crocheted displays throughout the town and festival site created by the Headford Yarnbombers, who will host a sit-and-knit gathering during Saturday’s craft fair.
Festival food vendors this year include Smashbird, Burgerlicious and Bartollini Pizza.
Organisers say many events across the weekend are free to attend, with tickets required only for selected shows and activities. Tickets will also be available on the door for most events, although advance booking is recommended. The full festival programme is available online and in printed form at local shops.
Local councillor Andrew Reddington, a founding member of the festival, said Headfest remains one of the highlights of the local calendar.
“This is the weekend everyone in Headford and the surrounding areas looks forward to,” he said. “It’s a celebration of everything that is good about our area.
“There is a lot of negativity in the world at the moment, but if you come to Headford this weekend, you won’t be disappointed.”
Headfest 2026 is supported by Galway Rural Development through LEADER, Galway County Council, Fáilte Ireland and West Midlands Credit Union.
