Frighteningly good line-up as Púca Festival returns

Trim and Athboy will play host to visitors as the 2022 Púca Festival returns with a bang this October. Headliners announced this week include King Kong Company, Block Rockin’ Beats, The High Kings, Blindboy, Joanne McNally, Neil Delamere, David O’Doherty, and Jason Byrne with more headline acts to be confirmed.

Celebrating Meath as the birthplace of Halloween, Púca describes itself is an authentic, immersive, and otherworldly festival, vibrant, fun, and contemporary in feel but strongly rooted in tradition. Púca will take place in festival hubs Trim and Athboy, from Friday 28th to Monday 31st October next.

Púca Festival has been developed by Fáilte Ireland in partnership with Meath County Council, to tell the origin story of Samhain or ‘Summer’s End’, which is said to originate at the Hill of Ward - or Tlachgta - in Athboy.

Devised to encourage more international visitors to visit Ireland during the quiter months of October and November, and to encourage domestic visitors to explore different regions of Ireland, Púca Festival is now in its fourth year.

Orla Carroll, director of product development at Fáilte Ireland said: “Meath and the wider Ireland’s Ancient East region have so much to offer, and Púca celebrates this region’s significant heritage and culture while offering a fantastic visitor experience. Working in close partnership with Meath County Council and local tourism and hospitality businesses in our festival hubs of Trim and Athboy we have developed a unique and spectacular programme of events that will be of huge interest to domestic and international visitors alike.”

Jackie Maguire, chief executive, Meath County Council added: “Meath County Council is delighted to support the Púca Festival again this year and we look forward to welcoming visitors to celebrate the origins of Samhain in Meath with a very exciting programme of events and activities.

“Working with Fáilte Ireland, the Púca team and local businesses to create an international festival from the story of Samhain will place the Boyne Valley centre stage, support the tourism economy of County Meath and share this unique folklore with the world.”