Westival 2026 - Westport's Music and Arts Festival

What to Expect

Westival is Westport’s music and arts festival and it closes out the town’s autumn season. The festival’s own site gives the 2026 dates as 28 October to 1 November, while the Destination Westport listing shows 29 October to 1 November, so confirm the opening night before you book travel around it.

The festival programmes music, art, film and performance across venues in the town rather than on a single site, and describes Westport during the weekend as a living canvas shaped by artists, audiences, volunteers and the local community. It runs on a partnership model, pulling together creatives, funders and local businesses, which is why the venue list changes year to year and why a good part of the programme sits in pubs, galleries and shopfronts as well as the Town Hall Theatre. As of mid-August 2026 the organisers had not released the line-up, saying they were putting the final touches to the programme and that the full listing was coming soon. Sign up to the festival newsletter if you want the on-sale date before tickets move.

Good to Know

• Dates: 28 October to 1 November 2026 per the festival site. The town’s tourism listing gives 29 October to 1 November
• Where: Venues across Westport town
• Price: Varies. Ticket information not released at time of writing
• Programme: Not yet published. The organisers say the full line-up is coming soon
• Website: westival.ie, with a newsletter for on-sale announcements
• Timing: The 2026 run opens on the Wednesday of October bank holiday week, two days after the bank holiday Monday of 26 October, and closes on Sunday 1 November
• Accommodation: Westport books out for Westival. Sort beds before tickets

Getting There

Westport is on the N5 from Castlebar and Dublin and the N59 from Leenane and Clifden. Because Westival spreads across town-centre venues, park once in a public car park off James Street or near the Fairgreen and walk between events rather than moving the car. Westport railway station is the western terminus of the Dublin Heuston line and sits about 15 minutes on foot from the centre, which makes the train the easiest way in from Dublin for a festival weekend. Bus Eireann connects Westport with Castlebar, Ballina, Galway and Achill, and Ireland West Airport Knock is roughly an hour by road.