Live Report: Beyond the Pale 2025 - A Stormy, Spellbinding, High-Vibe Triumph

Despite skies that cracked open with thunder, rain that poured in biblical bursts, and pre-festival financial turmoil that left many wondering if it would even go ahead, Beyond the Pale 2025 in Glendalough Estate, Co Wicklow, pulled off something extraordinary: a weekend packed with art, joy, defiance, and delirious energy.

It also achieved the impossible by having one unnamed food truck inflict me with an unholy bout of food poisoning that afflicted me for three days after the event (hence the late review) – and yet provided such a gorgeous weekend of entertainment and joy that my memories of Beyond The Pale 2025 remain fond and unsullied by the violence inflicted on my digestive system. Now, that’s impressive.

I visited Beyond The Pale for its first ever outing and knew it had the making of something really special, despite some small, first year teething issues. Now in its fourth edition, Beyond the Pale has clearly found its groove - and then some. The festival has grown in all the right directions: more seating areas, more installations, and more in-between-stage magic with aerial performers, dancers, roving DJs, and bursts of wild creativity that transformed the grounds into a constantly surprising dreamscape. There were whole worlds within worlds - raves in the woods, acrobats spinning above your head, unexpected stages popping up with bubble DJs, breakdancers, drag cabaret or Irish fiddle mashups. It’s a festival where wandering is rewarded and discovery is guaranteed, while still maintaining a sense of cosy intimacy.

Even the wild weather couldn’t dampen the spirit. From misty moments to monsoon-grade deluges, the crowd took it all in stride - dancing, laughing, and swaying through the puddles, united by good vibes and shared resilience. Palestinian flags waved proudly from tents and shoulders, with messages of solidarity echoed by artists, DJs, and festival-goers alike, adding a powerful undertone of political consciousness to the weekend.

The lineup? A full-spectrum feast. Friday was cloaked in fog but lifted into the ether by Jon Hopkins, who turned mist into magic. Attention Bebe and Negro Impacto brought brass and bounce, while Rathaus and Soda Blonde gave us grit and glow.

Beyond the Pale 2025. Photo:Aron Cahill

That night, the skies opened wide - really opened - and Saturday morning was more ark-building than tent-pitching. But there was still glory to be found: OSees proved utterly electrifying in the Selective Memory tend, with duelling drummers and a crowd that roared back with matching intensity. Todd Terje entertained Cirrus Gardens in a joyful blaze of disco euphoria. By evening, the rain gave way to transcendence: in the Strawberry Fields tent, Sexy Tadhg dazzled with a sublime, operatic, glam-rock queer spectacle which became one of the evening’s highlights. Duncan Disorderly’s House Party delivered peak chaos (and intimacy), Sally Cinnamon kept the decks turning, and aerial artists continued to twirl and fly, soaking wet and sensational.

On the main stage, Soofia Kourtesis was vibrant and fun, and Róisín Murphy was a vision - dramatic cape, plague-doctor-meets-fashion-icon realness, silhouetted band, and blasts of neon in her sumptuous visuals. The only dampener for Murphy? The volume. The main stage sound just didn’t hit hard enough, pulling back the energy when it should’ve soared. Honestly, someone of Murphy’s charisma might've been better suited to the immersive darkness of a tent.

Sunday didn’t simmer down - it ramped up. Where some festivals wind into lullaby on the final day, gently luring hungover heads from tents and gently crooning to them as they depart, Beyond the Pale stayed in dance mode, determined to give another full day of high-energy hijinks. Samantha Mumba was a gracious, nostalgic joy. And So I Watch You From Afar lit up the Selective Memory tent early, delivering tight, high-octane catharsis despite the slot feeling a bit early for their wall-of-sound style. Gurriers battled frustrating sound drops but kept the crowd onside with charm and spirit.

Samantha Mumba at Beyond The Pale 2025. Photo: Aron Cahill

One of the weekend's most emotional peaks came from Broken Social Scene, who dedicated Anthems for a 'Seventeen-Year-Old Girl' to the trans community who have revived the song on social media after its appearance in the trans masterpiece I Saw The TV Glow, and the song connected beautifully with a crowd already in full voice. Meanwhile, Palestinian DJ Sama Abdulhadi brought serious heat to Cirrus Gardens, performing to a sea of raised flags and bodies in motion.

And then came a one-two punch: BadBadNotGood brought sophistication and soul to the main stage, only to be followed by HousePlants, who exploded with energy and gratitude, thanking the site workers and sending the crowd into total dance-mode. A fitting close to a chaotic, cathartic weekend.

Almost fitting, then, that Marc Rebillet was delayed by an hour (a fact posted online but not in the tent, leaving the crowd hangry and confused). Some drifted to TV On The Radio - who delivered a crisp, powerful set, denouncing fascism and sending solidarity to Palestine - before returning to Rebillet’s final madcap blowout, all fire and confetti and improvised absurdity. A stagecrasher gifted Rebillet a t-shirt emblazoned ‘Up the Ra’ which led to Rebillet seeking out a quick history lesson then declaring “Fuck the Brits!” and creating an on-the-fly track as the crowd chanted “Ooh-Ah-Up-The-Ra.” Madness and mayhem, and wildly entertaining – though I do wonder how it will go down with the UK audience that Rebillet had just left earlier that day.

A special shoutout to the festival workers who kept the bathrooms clean, the ground litter-free, the showers running and the vibes positive all weekend, and - despite my one run-in with The Meal Of Death - the food was largely diverse, inventive, and delicious.

There were also family friendly events, workshops, talks and relaxing events all throughout the weekend which kept the energy lovely and warm as well as energetic and high spirit. I spoke to a lot of people throughout the festival and cannot stress how much everyone was enjoying themselves, how excited they were to see their favourite artists, how delighted they were by the festival’s growth, and how touched they all were by the festival’s opportunities for, and focus on, connection.

I’m truly delighted that Beyond The Pale went ahead this year after its preceding week of drama and financial uncertainty. Because Beyond the Pale isn’t just another Irish festival. It’s a shape-shifting, soul-lifting celebration that combines heart, politics, performance and pleasure in just the right alchemy. In a precarious time for independent festivals, this one stood tall - mud-soaked, storm-tested, and still utterly magical.

Long may it rave.