Púca festival to celebrate Samhain at Slane Castle

This Halloween, the Púca festival is adding Slane Castle to their travelling line up.

The fun, otherworldly festival celebrates Ireland as the original birthplace of Halloween, and in 2021, visitors from home and abroad are being welcomed back for a full week of music and mythology, sideshows and standup, cabaret and cocktails, and much more.

The festival will take place across County Meath and County Louth, from October 23–31, at Slane Castle in addition to the existing festival hubs of Athboy, Trim and Drogheda.

'Púca' is typically a shape-shifting creature from Celtic folklore, a familiar character in Ireland's narrative of Halloween. Samhain also marked the end of the harvest season, so the festival embraces the wealth and quality of the local produce on its doorstep — making food and drink another star in the show. Festival goers can expect world class whisky, award-winning seafood, locally raised meat and natural honey, among many other things.

Developed by Fáilte Ireland (the National Tourism Development Authority of Ireland), and in partnership with Meath and Louth County Councils, Púca aims to claim ownership of this internationally celebrated event and to tell the story of the origins of Samhain.

On the festival lineup is the Jerry Fish Electric Sideshow, award-winning singer-songwriter Aoife Scott, internet sensation Jiggy, and there will be late-night comedy from Joanne McNally.

“We are excited to welcome visitors back to Púca Festival this October to celebrate Ireland as the birthplace of Halloween," said Orla Carroll, Director Product Development in Fáilte Ireland.

"Festivals play a key role in delivering brilliant visitor experiences and providing visitors with a unique reason to choose a destination and with a distinctive programme of events from music and spectacle to food, there is something for everyone this year at Púca.”