![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/6a60f2ef34c985f60d4.jpg\")
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\n The launch took place yesterday.\n <\/p>\n
Minister\u00a0for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter\u00a0Burke\u00a0TD officially launched the\u00a0Ireland\u00a0Home\u00a0of\u00a0Halloween\u00a02026\u00a0programme\u00a0at the\u00a0Hill\u00a0of\u00a0Uisneach, Co. Westmeath yesterday.<\/p>\n
Now in its second year,\u00a0Ireland\u00a0Home\u00a0of\u00a0Halloween\u00a0is a collaborative all-island\u00a0programme\u00a0led by F\u00e1ilte\u00a0Ireland, Tourism\u00a0Ireland\u00a0and Tourism Northern\u00a0Ireland\u00a0that celebrates the island’s role as the birthplace of\u00a0Halloween\u00a0through festivals and visitor experiences inspired by Samhain traditions.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Ireland\u00a0Home\u00a0of\u00a0Halloween\u00a0initiative supported the delivery of over 830 events across the island of\u00a0Ireland\u00a0in 2025, attracting over 322,000 domestic and international visitors and generating over \u20ac43 million* in economic impact, supporting local communities and tourism businesses.<\/p>\n
Building on this success, the\u00a02026\u00a0programme\u00a0will bring together a network of destinations across the island to deliver an expanded season of festivals, spectacles, trails, performances, food experiences and community celebrations inspired by the origins of\u00a0Halloween.<\/p>\n
In\u00a02026, the\u00a0programme\u00a0will feature activity across seven\u00a0Home\u00a0of\u00a0Halloween\u00a0destinations:<\/p>\n
Fingal
\n Galway
\n Kerry
\n Kilkenny
\n Limerick
\n Longford and Westmeath
\n Meath and Louth<\/p>\n
In partnership with Tourism Northern\u00a0Ireland, the\u00a0programme\u00a0will also incorporate the internationally renowned Derry\u00a0Halloween\u00a0Festival, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, further strengthening the island-wide celebration of Samhain and\u00a0Halloween.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0programme\u00a0will be anchored by\u00a0P\u00faca Festival, the flagship festival of\u00a0Ireland\u00a0Home\u00a0of\u00a0Halloween\u00a0alongside Derry\u00a0Halloween.\u00a0New elements added to the\u00a0Ireland\u00a0Home\u00a0of\u00a0Halloween\u00a0Programme\u00a0in\u00a02026\u00a0include:<\/p>\n
Kilkenny Hub:\u00a0New outdoor spectacle event, including The Cailleach by\u00a0Macnas.
\n Fingal Hub: An increased focus on heritage-led experiences and storytelling, expanding into Howth Castle for activations.
\n Longford\/Westmeath Hub:\u00a0Introduction of the\u00a0Spooktacular Summoning at D\u00fanna S\u00ed, the launch of the new Samhain Trail and a new Procession in Athlone.
\n Limerick Hub:\u00a0A new Samhain Banquet celebrating local food, culture and seasonal traditions.
\n Derry\u00a0Halloween:\u00a0Enhanced 40th Anniversary\u00a0Programme\u00a0celebrating four decades of Derry\u00a0Halloween, alongside the launch of new year-round visitor experiences including the Derry Samhain Experience and a permanent Derry\u00a0Halloween\u00a0mural.<\/p>\n
Launching the\u00a0programme,\u00a0Minister\u00a0Peter\u00a0Burke\u00a0TD said:<\/p>\n
“Ireland’s\u00a0Home\u00a0of\u00a0Halloween\u00a0demonstrates how our unique culture and heritage can support the ambitions of Government tourism policy by driving sustainable growth across our regions and extending the tourism season.<\/p>\n
The success of the\u00a0programme\u00a0to date shows the significant potential of this initiative to attract visitors during the shoulder season. In 2025, the initiative generated more than \u20ac43 million in economic impact delivering tangible benefits for local communities and tourism businesses across the island. By supporting businesses, creating employment opportunities and encouraging visitors to explore destinations across the island, the\u00a0programme\u00a0continues to deliver lasting benefits while showcasing\u00a0Ireland\u00a0as the authentic\u00a0home\u00a0of\u00a0Halloween.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The launch took place yesterday. Minister\u00a0for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter\u00a0Burke\u00a0TD officially launched the\u00a0Ireland\u00a0Home\u00a0of\u00a0Halloween\u00a02026\u00a0programme\u00a0at the\u00a0Hill\u00a0of\u00a0Uisneach, Co. Westmeath yesterday.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":563053,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3279,319,61,60,2673,8285,1529,8284,8282,8283,43,8286,700,59],"class_list":["post-563052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-broadcast","tag-broadcasting","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-irish-news","tag-laois","tag-local-news","tag-local-radio","tag-midlands","tag-midlands-103","tag-news","tag-offaly","tag-radio","tag-westmeath"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/563052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=563052"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/563052\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/563053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=563052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=563052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=563052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}