Timahoe Heritage Festival celebrates 1100 years of viking monastic history with a broad variety of activities, workshops, demonstrations and so on. See a list of each workshop and activity here. From weaving displays, funfairs, and coinstriking workshops to food and craft fairs to cooking displays and so much more, it’s a festival not to be missed.
11 Festivals You Should Visit in Laois this Summer
Enjoy the fantastic festivals lined up across Laois this summer
Plan ahead and enjoy a fun-packed time in the hidden heartlands
With another summer of fun well and truly on its way, we wanted to make sure you had a full list of festivals to follow so you can plan your time around them in Laois this summer. These must-visit festivals are so tempting that you’ll want to visit Laois numerous times this year and so, we hope we can inspire some of your holiday plans and encourage some of the fun you get up to!
JUNE
Timahoe Heritage Festival
4th & 5th of June 2022 at Timahoe Heritage Centre
Learn more here
Buds & Blossoms Gardening Festival
12th of June 2022 in Spink Community Grounds, Abbeyleix
Growing bigger every year, Buds & Blossoms Gardening Festival promises to put out all the stops this year. It’s a Sunday well spent with an abundance of top gardening speakers, food and entertainment for all the family. A vaiety of Laois’ local food producers and plant specialists will exhibit and talks and demonstrations from different contributors will also be a highlight. Keep the kids happy with plenty of activities and fun taking place such as balloon modelling, clown fun and music.
Learn more here
Old Fort Quarter Festival
23rd – 26th of June 2022 on Main Street Portlaoise
Old Fort Quarter Festival finally returns and is set to be a good one. With headline gigs ticketed on the Main Stage in Laois Music Centre, along with entertainment for all ages across Main Street and Fitzmaurice Plaza, Portlaoise, it’s a weekend in Laois not to be missed. From heritage events and street theatre, to street markets and a pub music trail, as well as music generation, Laois’s special event for teenagers and the four ticketed concerts nightly on the main stage, Laois promises to be buzzing.
Learn more here
JULY
The Folly Festival
8th of July 2022 in Cullahill Community Centre
Music and comedy combined, The Folly Festival is what dreams are made of in festival fashion. This festival provides family fun for all of the family with daytime events open for all to attend and evening acts for that perfect balance of a fun-filled, family-friendly festival making it a family favourite and one to remember when you let loose in Laois!
Learn more here
Forest Fest
22nd – 24th of July 2022 in Emo Village
Forest Fest is new to the midlands and already looks promising with a spectacular line-up. This new summertime boutique festival brings a weekend of music and arts to Laois with headliners like the Waterboys, Damien Dempsey, Hermitage Green, The Riptide Movement and Paddy Casey to name a few. Visitors can even make the most of their weekend and camp out. This family-friendly festival is in the heart of Emo and has three main stages to allow for a range of acts to perform and suit every music fan.
Learn more here
Durrow Scarecrow Festival
24th of July – 1st August 2022 in Durrow, Laois
Laois’s famous festival is back! Durrow Scarecrow Festival was nominated for ‘Best Festival’ in the Irish Times Ticket Awards twice and it’s no wonder why. This community effort festival gives creative spec to the world of scarecrows but also renowns it’s title as a festival jam-pacled with family entertainment, great markets, events and overall fun. With food and craft fairs, exhibitions and more, without forgetting the one everyone’s been waiting for, the scarecrow championships. Visit durrowscarecrowfestival.com to get a grasp of everything that’s happening over the week.
Learn more here
Abbeyleix Arts Festival
30th of July – 1st August 2022 in Abbeyleix Community Garden
The August Bank Holiday weekend will see Abbeyleix take on a weekend full of arts, music and entertainment for all. What’s not to love? Meet in the middle with friends and family this summer to celebrate the weekend in the leg of the last hurrah of summer. Abbeyleix is the pinnacle of fun and there’s plenty to be had in this beautiful town this summer.
Learn more here
AUGUST
Twin Trees Festival
19th – 20th August 2022 across County Laois
Visit Laois this August and wander The Twin Trees Festival, a three day outdoor painting event taking place in Heywood Gardens on day one, the woodlands and lakes on day two and Ballinakill Village on day three. With past participants and new artists on the scene, we welcome all to visit Laois to see the very picturesque Ballinakill on canvas. Let’s celebrate art and culture in Laois.
Learn more here
Power of Words Festival
19th – 21st August 2022 in Abbeyleix
Abbeyleix welcomes all to this years Power of Words Festival which celebrates words expressed through written, spoken, acted and sung communication. Set in a town surrounded and built off its rich heritage, this festival promises to give a deeper look into the meaning of language.
SEPTEMBER
Electric Picnic
2nd – 4th September 2022 in Stradbally
This festival needs no introduction. Ireland’s biggest music and arts festival is back and bigger than ever in the midlands. Spend the weekend enjoying everything from music and comedy, to theatre and interactive art with holistic health and world cuisine in between. It’s a weekend for everyone and one that will go down in Irish festival history!
National Ploughing Championships
20th – 22nd September 2022 in Ratheniska
Ireland’s biggest agricultural show takes place in Ratheniska this September with a week set to celebrate the best ploughmen and women in the country in the annual ploughing contest. With hundreds of businesses tented to exhibit their brands and so much fun to be had across the 3 days, it’s another of Laois’s must-do festivals. Don’t forget to pack the wellies and a raincoat though!
Laois is waiting to supply your festival fun this summer. Explore LaoisTourism.ie for things to do, places to stay, where to eat and more in the heart of Ireland this summer season.
See what else is happening across the county with our official Laois Tourism Event Guide
Let’s meet in the middle for a summer of festival fun
#MeetInTheMiddle #LaoisTourism #KeepDiscovering
