World-Famous Púca Festival Returns to Co. Meath Next Week

Monday, 20th October 2025: The world-famous Púca Festival 2025, developed by Fáilte Ireland, in partnership with Meath County Council returns next week, inviting everyone to toast to the spirits at the birthplace of Halloween. Taking place across the vibrant festival hubs of Trim and Athboy, Co. Meath from Thursday, 30th October to Sunday, 2nd November, festivalgoers can look forward to four unforgettable nights filled with music, fire, food, folklore, and immersive experiences set in Ireland’s Ancient East.  

Festival Highlights 

This year’s Púca Festival features with two unmissable events that mark its opening and closing – Athboy’s Samhain Fire Ceremony and Trim’s Púca Procession – each offering a unique and authentic celebration of Ireland’s ancient Samhain traditions. On Friday, 31st October, the Lighting of the Samhain Fire at Tlachtga (Hill of Ward), Athboy will honour the origins of Halloween with a powerful ceremony and fiery spectacle, followed by music and celebration at the Fair Green. The journey continues Saturday, 1st November, as Trim comes alive for the Púca Procession: Gathering of the Spirits – a free, open-air celebration blending outdoor theatre, street performance, and traditional Irish music.   

An array of workshops, tours, music and comedy will run throughout the weekend, offering plenty to explore. Highlights include the Samhain Circus in Fairgreen, Athboy, Sorchas Na Samhain, and Beyond the Veil – The Púca Trail at the Harvest Market, Porchfields, Trim. Don’t miss the Projections on Trim Castle, a free event that brings the ancient fortress to life. 

Must See 

Thursday, 30th October 
Kick off the celebrations with The High Kings, comedian Jason Byrne, and a spectacular visual performance from The Pyro Collective. Expect an electric opening night filled with music, laughter, and fiery displays to set the tone for the weekend ahead. 

Friday, 31st October – Halloween Night 
Experience a thrilling Samhain lineup featuring The 2 Johnnies with special guests Chasing Abbey, Mark McCabe, Fin Furey and The Oars. Enjoy the unique storytelling of Blindboy, and dance the night away with Qween and the DGC. 

Saturday, 1st November 
Keep the energy high with Block Rockin’ Beats and a Groove Armada DJ set that will light up the night. With supports from Edision, Mick & Moe and Def Nettle.  Enjoy standout performances from Dubliner – The Luke Kelly Story, Ireland’s favourite trio the Young Hot Guys and the fabulous Davina Devine. 

Sunday, 2nd November 

Hidden Gems / Things You Might Not Know 

This year unveils a host of new standout experiences. Step into a hauntingly beautiful evening at Spooky Classics by Candlelight at the Swift Centre, where world-class performers bring iconic spooky scores from stage and screen to life by flickering candlelight. Join Slán Solas, a mindful outdoor gathering at sunset that blends gentle movement and breathwork to honour the coming of winter. Get hands-on and explore the enchanting world of Irish folklore in the Reimagined Púca workshop, where you can create your own Púca mask to blend in with the spirits. Celebrate the harvest season by immersing yourself in the wild edible and medicinal plants of Trim with Jenny Boylan, foraging seasonal produce and uncovering the folklore and stories behind each plant. 

What to Wear 

October weather in Ireland can be unpredictable, so be ready to adapt as quickly as the Púca itself! Although much of the festival takes place indoors, several events, including the Harvest Market, tours, and workshops, are held outdoors. Visitors are encouraged to dress for the elements, with warm layers, sturdy weatherproof footwear, and a rain jacket recommended to stay comfortable. Organisers will provide daily weather updates via social media, so festivalgoers can plan ahead and enjoy all the activities, rain or shine. We recommend avoiding open-toe shoes, costumes that restrict movement or visibility and non-waterproof materials. 

Getting to Púca Festival 

The festival takes place across two hubs with a free shuttle bus running hourly between both Trim and Athboy throughout the weekend. New festival coaches can be purchased as add-ons to your festival ticket, offering a comfortable and convenient way to travel from nearby hubs including Drogheda, Slane, Navan, Newbridge, Naas, Sallins, Clane, Dublin, Cavan, Summerhill, and Mullingar. Tickets must be pre-booked online at www.pucafestival.com. 

Parking information is also available online, and visitors are encouraged to plan ahead. Festival maps and detailed transport information will be available on the website to help you navigate the festival with ease. 

With two hubs and one festival experience, Bus Éireann also operates multiple routes to Trim and Athboy from Dublin, Meath, Wicklow, Louth, and beyond. 

Where to Eat 

The Harvest Market both in Trim and Athboy are the heart of the Púca Festival, celebrating the best of Boyne Valley with local food, seasonal produce, and Irish craftsmanship. Visitors can enjoy hot food, explore workshops from wood sculpting to Neolithic bread-making, and take part in traditional games, all while discovering the flavours and creativity of the region. Open from 11 am each day, Thursday 30th, October to Sunday 2nd, November, the market offers something for the whole family during the four-day festival. 

The veil between worlds thins once more – Púca Festival 2025 is calling, and this is one experience you cannot afford to miss. With wonder around every corner, Púca is your portal to the mystical, the thrilling, and the utterly unmissable. Tickets are flying fast, secure your place in Ireland’s most spellbinding festival before it’s too late! 

  

-ENDS-  

 

Media Enquiries    

For all press enquiries, please contact puca@harrispr.ie         

  

Notes for Editors  

Púca Website  

Step into another realm at www.pucafestival.com and discover the full festival programme, explore event details, and secure your tickets for an unforgettable Samhain experience.    

   

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About Fáilte Ireland    

As the National Tourism Development Authority, Fáilte Ireland’s role is to support the long-term sustainable growth in the economic, social, cultural, and environmental contribution of tourism to Ireland. Tourism is of critical importance to the national economy and to regional development and employment. We work in partnership with Government, State agencies, Local Authorities, representative groups and industry, to develop tourism across Ireland by creating destination development plans and networks, investing in infrastructure, activities, visitor attractions and festivals.  Fáilte Ireland also provides consumer and buyer insights, mentoring, business supports and training programmes and buyer platforms to help tourism businesses innovate and grow. In addition, Fáilte Ireland supports Business Tourism, managing the bidding for and securing of larger conferences, meetings and events to be hosted in Ireland. We are also responsible for domestic holiday marketing across four regional experience brands: Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland’s Ancient East, Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands and Dublin. Fáilte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority, was established in 2003 to guide and promote tourism as a leading indigenous component of the Irish economy. www.failteireland.ie   

    

The meaning of Púca    

At ancient new year – when the light fades and the veil between worlds thins – the mischievous spirit Púca (pronounced poo-kuh) awakens. A shape-shifter from Celtic folklore, Púca transforms the world around her, roaming freely and altering the fortunes of those she encounters.    

   

The Púca Festival immerses visitors in the true, ancient spirit of Halloween with four days of music, myth, food, fire, and spectacle in Ireland’s Ancient East.    

   

Púca Festival Overview    

Púca is an authentic, immersive, spectacular, and otherworldly festival, celebrating Ireland as the original birthplace of Halloween. Working in partnership with Irish artists, seanchaí storytellers, and the local community Púca will showcase the best in contemporary Irish music, spectacle, and performance, over four spectacular days and nights full of music, myth, food, folklore, fire, feasting, and merriment in the country where Halloween began. Vibrant, fun, and contemporary in feel but strongly rooted in tradition, Púca will take place in festival hubs Trim and Athboy in County Meath, from Thursday, 30th October to Sunday, 2nd November 2025. * (* Subject to License)      

   

Púca Festival has been developed by Fáilte Ireland (the National Tourism Development Authority of Ireland), in partnership with Meath County Council, to celebrate Ireland as the birthplace of Halloween and to tell the origin story of Samhain or ‘Summer’s End’.      

   

In Irish and Celtic traditions Samhain is the end of the harvest season, when all the crops have been picked and stored for the ‘New Year’. This was historically a time of celebration, involving lighting fires, feasting on the crops of the harvest, music, gathering, and storytelling. A familiar character in Ireland’s narrative of Halloween, Púca (pronounced poo-kuh) is a shape-shifting character from Celtic folklore that comes alive at ancient new year to roam the night and change the fortunes of those that cross it.      

   

The festival will reopen the pathways of reflection and celebration carved out by travellers over 2,000 years ago, capturing the original and authentic spirit of Samhain. Púca (pronounced poo-kuh) is a character from Celtic folklore, that comes alive; a shape-shifting spirit, roaming the night and changing the fortunes of those that cross them, at ancient new year when light turns to dark, the veil between realities draws thin, rules can be broken, and the spirits move between worlds.     

      

Festival Hubs    

Trim, Co. Meath: A heritage town alive with four nights of supernatural events, music, comedy, and Halloween spectacle set against the stunning backdrop of Trim Castle.    

   

Athboy, Co. Meath: Steeped in tradition, Athboy is the site of the ancient Samhain gathering at Tlachtga (pronounced Clackda) or The Hill of Ward.     

   

Transport: While Trim and Athboy are serviced by a strong public transport network, a number of extra services will be added to bring visitors from Dublin, Drogheda, Navan, Mullingar and Kells, in addition to a regular bus running between Trim and Athboy.