Sligo Festivals 2020

February 29, 2020January 11, 2021 2019Projects

If you are planning your visit to Sligo or if you live here and want some dates for your diary here are the best of Sligo festivals for 2020.

February

Sligo Walking Festival

~~7th to 9th. With walks for every level of fitness taking place across the county there is sure to be a walk to suit. – Postponed until March~~

March

6th – 14th March. Tubbercurry, Co Sligo.
The Western Drama Festival, Tubbercurry was founded in 1944 and ever since hosts annual full length and one-act drama festivals for amateur drama groups from the 32 counties who present their plays in competition and whose aspiration is to qualify for the All-Ireland Drama Finals and win and All-Ireland award.

St. Patrick’s Day Parades

Cancelled due to Covid 19

17th March. 2020 celebrates 50 years of Parades in Sligo Town and this year organisations are invited to submit floats through the decades from 1970 – 2020. This years parade starts at 12 noon on Mail Coach Road and finishes at Our Lady Of Mercy Primary School. More Information about all the county parades and family friendly events here.

Walking Festival March 20th – 22nd

Cancelled due to Covid 19

A wide variety of exciting new routes and walks for you this year and look forward to meeting walkers old and new. With walks for every level of fitness taking place across the county there is sure to be a walk to suit. On Friday we kick off with a night hike and Saturday and Sunday have options for A,B and C walks. More details coming soon:

~~http://northwestadventuretours.ie/sligowalkingfestival/~~

May

Sligo Summer Festival

May Bank Holiday. 3 nights of music and fun.

Bealtaine Festival

A countrywide festival running for the whole of May celebrating the arts and creativity as we age.

Sligo Chamber Festival

Cancelled due to Covid 19

1st – 4th May. Taking place in St Columba’s Church Drumcliffe and The Model Sligo over the May bank holiday weekend, Sligo International Chamber Music Festival is a highlight in the annual calendar of music events.

Cos Cos Sean Nos Festival

Cancelled due to Covid 19

Dates to be confirmed. Rathcormac, Sligo. Join some of the country’s finest Sean Nós dancers, musicians, singers, poets and storytellers as they gather in the shadow of Benbulben.

Sligo Summer Festival Country Weekend

29th – 31st May. Headliners, Mike Denver, Nathan Carter, Michael English will be joined by the likes of John McNicholl and Shauna McStravock to name a few.
There will also be a host of Country Music activities taking place during the day including Jiving Classes, Country Music Disco’s and Line Dancing Classes over the 3 days.

June

The Lily Lolly Yeats Festival

Dates to be confirmed. Sligo town. Celebrate the legacy of Susan and Elizabeth Yeats affectionately known as Lily and Lolly. Including Yeats Day on June 13th.

Change Your Mind Festival

13th and 14th of June at The Model, Sligo. A free festival by the HSE including a run, entertainment for children, music, workshops, speakers and so much more.

Knocklane Festival

a celebration of traditional music for all the family. Dates to be confirmed.

Wild Atlantic Sea Shanty

Dates to be confirmed.Rosses Point, Co Sligo. Rosses Point comes alive with shanty singers from all over the world.

July

Benbulben Country Music Festival

July 5th Grange, Co. Sligo

Cairde Sligo Arts Festival

4th – 12th July. Celebrating cultural diversity and inclusion and fun for all the family.

South Sligo Summer School

12th-18th July. Summer School of Traditional Irish Music, Song & Dance held in the South Sligo town of Tubbercurry.

Ballygawley Music Festival

17th – 19th July. Featuring Derek Ryan, Cliona Hagan and more.

Sligo Jazz Project

Cancelled due to Covid 19

21st-26th July. There’s a summer school, quality pub/hotel/cafe sessions and some top class musicians from all over the world.

Hagstravaganza

24th – 25th July. White Hag Brewery, Ballymote
Ireland’s largest international brewery festival, HAGSTRAVAGANZA is an event where we open up the brewery with special guests from 22 other breweries from around the world.

Black Pig Festival

23rd – 27th July. Enniscrone, Co. Sligo. A festival celebrating a black pig who was possessed and ate everyone in her path! There are no man eating pigs at this festival (hopefully!) but there is a funfair, fireworks, soapbox derby and more.

Yeats International Summer School

30th July – 7th August.

Tread Softly festival

Inspired by Yeats’ brothers, Jack and William, explores landscape – visual, literary, ephemeral and tangible – that ignited their work and continues to rouse today’s artists, writers and thinkers. Dates to be announced.

August

Carmel Gunning Summer School

13th – 15th August Sligo Town. Festival of Irish Music

The Old Fair Day Festival

8th – 12th August Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo. A step back in time with this festival, see Ireland used to be in the fair days of the past. Family friendly event and most of it is free.

Sligo Summer Festival August Weekender

6th – 9th August. Sligo comes alive with music with the gig rig in the centre of town.

Wild Roots Festival

14th – 16th August. An explosion of art, music and adventure, Wild Roots will take you on a journey to explore galaxies beyond your own. For the adventurous beings, where native and boutique walk hand in hand, immerse yourself in the enchanted forest, swim in the mysticism of your surrounds, dine in the arena of invigoration, be enveloped in art or wrap yourself in the warm blankets of humanity.

National Heritage Week.

15th – 23rd August.
A week long celebration of our Irish heritage. Lots of free family events taking place all over the island of Ireland.

September

Celtic Fringe Festival

Dates to be confirmed Grange, Co. Sligo. Remembering the Spanish Armada and celebrating the links between Spain and Ireland.

Easkey Street Festival

18th and 19th September. Starting with a pre-festival parade on the 18th and the big event on the 19th.

Culture Night

Date to be confirmed. This is a country wide event where venues and public spaces open their doors to host a programme of free late-night entertainment, as part of an all-island celebration of arts, heritage and culture.