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October & November 2026

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October & November 2026

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October & November 2026

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Galway City, Home of Halloween Presents…

Gaillimh Ah-Boo!

Building on the massive success of its inaugural year, Galway City Council is proud to announce the return of ‘Gaillimh Ah-Boo!’—an expanded, city-wide Halloween celebration reclaiming the ancient Celtic origins of Samhain through myth, magic, and community.
As part of Fáilte Ireland’s Home of Halloween Destination Development Scheme, this year’s programme is even more diverse, capturing the vibrant atmosphere and unique cultural backdrop of Galway City. The season marks an extra-special milestone for the city’s arts landscape, celebrating both Macnas’s 40th Anniversary and the 30th Anniversary of the Baboró International Arts Festival for Children.
Check out our ‘All Events’ page for the full schedule of events spanning October into early November. From spine-tingling street spectacles to immersive sound and light installations, Gaillimh Ah-Boo! invites locals and visitors alike to experience Halloween in its authentic, original form, rooted in folklore, feasting, and fire.

 

Highlights of the Samhain Season in Galway City include:

  • Macnas Parade (25 October): Galway’s world-renowned parade-makers celebrate four decades of magic with their magnificent new procession, Fiáin (fee-awn). Meaning “wild,” Fiáin is a celebration of the raw elements of the West of Ireland and the wild inspirations that have imbued Macnas’s iconic work over the last 40 years.
  • ‘Time’ by Luxmuralis: Internationally acclaimed pioneers of immersive light and sound, Luxmuralis bring their spectacular installation Time to St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church. This landmark experience is funded through Galway City Council’s Night-Time Economy and Gaillimh Ah-Boo! programmes, alongside the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport.
  • Samhain Community Dance Spectacle – A Thriller in Eyre Square: Presented by the Genevieve Ryan Dance Academy and Galway City Council Night-Time Economy, this spine-tingling community event brings ancient folklore and modern pop culture together through a spectacular reimagining of Michael Jackson’s iconic Thriller dance

Gaillimh Ah-Boo! is bolstered by key festival partners including Macnas, the Galway Comedy Festival, Baboró Children’s Festival, and Galway City’s Night-Time Economy programme.

From the world-renowned Macnas spectacle to atmospheric heritage settings and neighbourhood-led activity, Galway’s Halloween story supports a diversity of community-based events, giving Gaillimh Ah-Boo! an authentic and unmistakably local feel.

 

All Events

Johnny O’Reilly (Executive Director, Macnas), Annie Duffy McMahon (Macnas, Company Administrator), Mayor of Galway City Cllr. Helen Ogbu, Ruth Gabriela Lorenzo Resendiz (Representative from the Mexican Community in Galway)

Eibhlis Maher (Festival & Events Officer, Fáilte Ireland), Paul Mockler (Head of Business, Festivals and Major Sporting Events, Fáilte Ireland), Mayor of Galway City Cllr. Helen Ogbu, Fergal Cushen (Festival & Events Officer, Galway City Council), Kate Howard (Night-Time Economy Officer, Galway City Council)

Location Map

Event highlights

 

Macnas Parade

Sunday, 25th October, 2026 (free)

 

Time by Luxmuralis

St. Nicholas Collegiate Church 23 – 31 October From 6.30 pm daily

Samhain Community Dance Spectacle - A Thriller in Eyre Square

Eyre Square, October 26th, 6:00 PM

A Gathering of Souls

Streets of Galway, Sunday, 1 November @ 6:00pm

 

Macnas Parade

marking the 40th anniversary of Macnas

Go to Macnas website

Fiáin

Meaning: Wild, Feral, Unbound, Rampant, Primal

Date:

Sunday, 25th October, 2026

Funding Acknowledgement

Macnas Parade

Sunday, 25th October, 2026, 5.30pm, Family viewing: Father Griffin Road, Eglington Street. Accessible viewing: Galway Cathedral.

Presented by Galway City Council Night-Time Economy as part of the Gaillimh Ah-Boo!, Home of Halloween Programme.

Fiáin (fee-awn) is a celebration of the wild – the wild elements of the West of Ireland, the wild inspirations that have imbued our work over the last 40 years, and the wild energy that engulfs the streets, performers and audiences as we own the streets and public spaces for one night only.

Audiences will be brought on a journey by Macnas conjuring up a magical-realist world brimming with fizzing light, infusing the streets with spices and aromas, wafting and roaming around dense dark corners that rise to meet the transcendental and magical. It promises to be strange, unpredictable and utterly mesmerising.

More Info

Time by Luxmuralis

St. Nicholas Collegiate Church 23-31 October From 6.30pm - Family Friendly, Accessible

Presented by Galway City Council Night-Time Economy as part of the Gaillimh Ah-Boo!, Home of Halloween Programme.

Tickets can be purchased here via Town Hall Theatre

Internationally acclaimed pioneers of immersive light and sound Luxmuralis bring their spectacular installation Time to St Nicholas' Collegiate Church this autumn as the flagship event of the Gaillimh Ah-Boo programme. Transforming the interior of one of Ireland's most historic churches through monumental projection art, original music and immersive storytelling, Time promises an unforgettable journey through history, science, art and imagination.

Luxmuralis is the artistic collaboration of sculptor Peter Walker and composer David Harper. Internationally recognised for pushing the boundaries of immersive fine art, Luxmuralis create extraordinary experiences that fuse architecture, light, sound and narrative. Their breathtaking installations have transformed some of the world's most iconic cathedrals and historic landmarks, including Washington DC National Cathedral, The Old Royal Naval College, London, and cathedrals, abbeys and heritage sites across the United Kingdom, earning them a worldwide reputation for creating awe-inspiring works that celebrate both place and story.

Now, for the first time, Galway audiences will experience Time, one of Luxmuralis' most recent and thought-provoking creations. Using cinematic soundscapes and breathtaking digital artworks re-curated specifically for the architecture of each venue, Time explores humanity's enduring fascination with the concept of time.

Inspired by Einstein's theories of relativity and H.G. Wells' The Time Machine, visitors will be immersed amongst swirling galaxies and wormholes, venture inside the intricate workings of clocks, witness humanity through different eras and ultimately travel back to the very beginning of our universe. The experience culminates in a breathtaking finale beneath the soaring medieval roof of St Nicholas' Collegiate Church, where architecture, music and light combine in an awe-inspiring celebration of creation, discovery and the passage of time.

The arrival of Time coincides with the season of Samhain one of Ireland's oldest cultural traditions. Dating back more than 2,000 years, Samhain marks the transition from harvest to winter and the beginning of the Celtic New Year. Today it remains an important part of Ireland's rich cultural heritage, celebrating the changing seasons, storytelling, remembrance and community. These themes of reflection, renewal and the passage of time provide a fitting backdrop for Luxmuralis' extraordinary artistic vision.

As the flagship event of the Gaillimh Abú Festival, Time embodies the festival's celebration of Galway's heritage while embracing creativity, innovation and shared cultural experiences. Bringing together one of Ireland's oldest churches with one of the world's leading immersive artistic collaborations, the event promises to be a landmark moment in Galway's cultural calendar.

Click here to view visitor information and FAQ

Time by Luxmuralis is funded through the Galway City Council Night-Time Economy and Gaillimh Ah-Boo! Programme and the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport.

Book Tickets

Samhain Community Dance Spectacle: A Thriller in Eyre Square

Eyre Square, October 26th 6:00 PM - Family friendly, Accessible

Presented by the Genevieve Ryan Dance Academy and Galway City Council Night-Time Economy as part of the Gaillimh Ah-Boo!, Home of Halloween Programme

Get ready, Galway. The Genevieve Ryan Dance Academy is taking over Eyre Square once again with a spine-tingling community dance spectacle unlike any other.

This unique Samhain celebration will bring ancient folklore and modern pop culture together through a spectacular reimagining of Michael Jackson's iconic Thriller dance. As the veil between worlds grows thin at this sacred time of year, Galway's residents, community groups, dance schools, families and visitors are invited to step into a space beyond time and become part of a living piece of folklore.

At the heart of the performance is a coven of powerful Celtic women connected to nature, ancestry and the changing seasons. Emerging from the streets as if summoned by the spirit of Samhain itself, they draw audiences into a captivating story where myth and reality intertwine. As the performers move through Eyre Square, spectators will feel as though they are witnessing an ancient ritual unfolding in real time. Eyre Square becomes a stage. The city becomes a meeting place between worlds.

More than just a dance performance, this is a vibrant and inclusive street spectacle designed for everyone to take part. Attendees are encouraged to dress up, embrace the spirit of Samhain, and join the celebration. The Genevieve Ryan Dance Academy has created easy-to-follow instructional videos so participants can learn the choreography in advance, while professional dancers will be on hand on the night to guide everyone through the routine.

Whether you are a seasoned dancer or a first-time mover, you'll be right at home in this unforgettable community celebration of creativity, connection and Celtic tradition.

Learn the dance and be ready to participate:
[Add link here]

Come together this Samhain and help transform Galway's city centre into a thrilling, magical spectacle where folklore comes alive and everyone has a role to play.

The Samhain Community Dance Spectacle, is funded through the Galway City Council Night-Time Economy and Gaillimh Ah-Boo! Programme and the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport

Samhain Community Dance Spectacle 2026: A Thriller in Eyre Square - YouTube

More Info

A Gathering of Souls

Streets of Galway, Sunday, 1 November @ 6:00pm - Free, Family Friendly, Accessible

Presented by Galway City Council Night-Time Economy as part of the Gaillimh Ah-Boo!, Home of Halloween Programme. Led by the Mexican Community in Galway.

Long before borders, languages or religions connected our cultures, Ireland and Mexico had each developed profound tradition for honouring those who came before us.

Though separated by thousands of kilometres, Samhain, All Souls' Day and Día de Muertos share a remarkable belief: that there are moments in the year when the connection between the living and those who have passed becomes especially meaningful. These traditions are not centred on fear. They are centred on remembrance.

They remind us that those who came before us continue to shape who we are, and that memory, love and community transcend time.

Rather than presenting one tradition alongside another, A Gathering of Souls creates a respectful cultural conversation between them. Drawing on the rich heritage of both Ireland and Mexico, the event brings together music, symbolism, storytelling, Mexican colour and tradition, and collective remembrance in a public experience.

For one evening, the streets of Galway become a place where two ancient traditions walk side by side from Ireland's ancient Samhain heritage to Mexico's vibrant Día de Muertos celebrating memory, community and our enduring connection to those who came before us.

A Gathering of Souls, is funded through the Galway City Council Night-Time Economy and Gaillimh Ah-Boo! Programme and the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport

More Info
Gaillimh AhBoo!
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