This years Púca Festival 2023 has officially drawn to a close, with over 10,000 domestic and international visitors in attendance for the Opening Procession alone.
The Púca Festival was developed by Fáilte Ireland in partnership with Local Authority stakeholders to tell the story of Halloween’s origins in Irish and Celtic traditions. Samhain was an important event in the Celtic year, celebrating the harvest, and marking the division between the “light half of the year” and the “dark half of the year”. The festival is now organised in partnership with MPI, with Harris PR providing consult on media relations, digital & social media, and event management.
This years festival saw a stellar lineup featuring music and comedy headliners The Charlatans, The Waterboys, Damien Dempsey, Macy Gray, Reginald D Hunter, Emma Doran and Jason Byrne. With tickets selling out fast to the music and comedy events, walking tours, workshops and much more were available during the festival at the Púca Harvest Market located in Trim Porchfields. Open from 11am-7pm everyday, festivalgoers were given the opportunity to explore the art of wood sculpting, discover the secrets of Neolithic bread making, or dive into the age-old pastime of board games. This years Púca Festival showcased the very best of Boyne Valley’s offerings, from 40 different food and craft producers.
Celebrating Irish heritage with an intimate fire lighting ceremony at Tlachtga (Hill of Ward), Athboy, County Meath on October 31st, festivalgoers delighted in ‘An Lasadh Suas‘ paying tribute to traditional Samhain rituals, followed by a spectacular fire and musical celebration at the Fair Green in Athboy. The ceremonial fire at Tlachtga, marking Halloween night’s arrival was lit and the ancestral flame carried down from the Hill of Ward by Damien Dempsey. The closing ceremony saw performances from Candlelit Tales, Sibéal Ní Chasaide and Kíla, as well as a Morrigan (ancient Irish goddess of war) inspired fire performance alongside the rhythmic beat of the Hit Machine drummers.
For more information and a detailed list of the performances at this years festival, you can follow the Púca Festivals socials and website linked below.
Website: Púca Festival
Instagram: pucafestivalireland
Facebook: Púca Festival
Twitter: PucaFestival
