Mid-term runs from Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026, the bank holiday falls on the Monday, and Halloween itself lands on Saturday 31 October. That is a full week of children at home and a country full of parades, fire shows, pumpkin patches and story trails to fill it with.
We have gathered the best family Halloween events around Ireland from Friday 23 October to Sunday 1 November, and we have put the free ones first in every county. Where an event needs a ticket we say so, and every listing links to the organiser so you can check times and book.
Dates and times are correct at the time of writing, but festivals do move things, so give the link a quick look before you set off.
The five free nights to plan around
Macnas Halloween Parade, Galway: Sunday 25 October
Macnas turns 40 this year and marks it with a new parade, Fiáin, through Galway city centre from 5.30pm. It is free, it draws crowds of up to 80,000, and it is the single biggest family spectacle of the week in the west. Arrive early with small children and pick a spot on the route with somewhere to stand back from the crush. Route details are on the Galway Tourism parade page.
Macnas Fiáin in Dublin: Monday 26 October
The same giant puppets come to Dublin the following evening as part of the Bram Stoker Festival. The parade sets off at 7pm from North Great George’s Street and winds through the North East Inner City. Free to watch, all ages. See the Bram Stoker Festival programme for the route.
Derry Halloween: Wednesday 28 to Saturday 31 October
Europe’s biggest Halloween festival is 40 this year too. The city fills with costumed crowds over four days, with a daytime family strand called Little Horrors that covers crafts, character transformations, children’s shows and storytelling. The parade starts at 7pm on Halloween night with fireworks at about 8.15pm. It is free to attend, and the only ticket you might need is a free timed one for a section of the city walls. The full programme is on the Derry Halloween website.
Dragon of Shandon, Cork: Saturday 31 October
Cork’s 36-foot community-made dragon prowls the northside for the twentieth time this year, setting off at 7pm from Shandon and finishing with performances on the Coal Quay. It is free and it starts just after dark on purpose, so younger children can see it before bed. Route and news are on the Dragon of Shandon site.
Fingal Festival of Fire: Saturday 31 October
If you are in north county Dublin you have three free fire shows to choose from on Halloween night, all starting at 6.30pm: Millennium Park in Blanchardstown, Bremore Castle in Balbriggan and Swords Town Park. Expect live music and fireworks. Details on Visit Dublin.
Dublin
Free
- Stokerland, St Patrick’s Park, Saturday 24 to Monday 26 October. The Bram Stoker Festival’s family playground, with street theatre, storytelling, games, free face painting and a Victorian carousel. Aimed at families with under-12s. Fancy dress encouraged, and you can bring a picnic or use the food traders. Festival site.
- Dublin City Council neighbourhood events. The council usually runs dozens of free local events across mid-term. Check dublin.ie for this year’s list near you.
Ticketed
- Dracula’s Disco, Round Room at the Mansion House, Monday 26 October. A family Halloween party made with The Ark, with Count Dracula on the decks. Ages 4 and up. Festival site.
- Suitcase Stories: Nosferatu, Friday 23 October. A puppet retelling in miniature for ages 8 and up, and a lovely first “proper theatre” outing. Festival site.
- CreepyTown at The Helix, Glasnevin, on 24, 25, 26, 29 and 30 October at 2.30pm and 5pm. A spooky-but-not-scary family show from the team behind the Helix panto. Tickets are €22 plus booking fee, and the best dressed adult and child each day win panto tickets. Book at thehelix.ie.
- Halloween at the GAA Museum, Croke Park, Friday 23 October to Sunday 1 November. Details.
- The Haunted Trail, Malahide Castle, until Saturday 31 October, 12 noon to 8pm. Four zones through the castle grounds, built for young children by day and more atmospheric after dark. From €18 for children and €21 for adults, with family bundles. Details and tickets.
- Pumpkins After Dark, Newbridge House, until Saturday 31 October. Hundreds of hand-carved pumpkins along a trail through the estate. Timed tickets, so book ahead. Details.
- Craic from the Crypt, Ardgillan Castle, Balbriggan, Thursday 22 October to Sunday 1 November. €8 child, €12 adult, €38 family. Details.
Rest of Leinster
- Púca Festival, Trim and Athboy, Co. Meath, Thursday 29 October to Sunday 1 November. The free parts are the Púca Procession with fire performers, the lighting of the Samhain fire with music from Kíla, and a harvest market with craft demonstrations and woodcraft games. Concerts are ticketed and the Samhain Circus is for over-18s only. Check the day each free event falls on before you travel. Festival details.
- When the Veil Thins, The Hollow, Athlone, Saturday 31 October, 3pm to 7pm. Free, with face painting, trick-or-treat bags and a live fire performance. Details.
- Fire Trail, Nore Valley Park, Co. Kilkenny, Friday 23 to Monday 26 October, 6.45pm to 9pm. A torchlight treasure hunt, scare maze, fancy dress contest and bonfire. €11.50 and booking is essential. Book.
- Wicklow. Visit Wicklow keeps a county round-up of what is on this Halloween, and the On Ice rinks at Dundrum and Swords and Wicklow on Ice at Beyond the Trees, Avondale, open for mid-term.
Munster
- Dragon of Shandon, Cork, Saturday 31 October, 7pm. Free. See above.
- Halloween in Limerick, the city’s three-week festival runs to Sunday 1 November. Free street theatre from Morbid & Sons on Nicholas Street on Saturday 24 October, the Limerick Harvest Festival at the Milk Market on Sunday 25 October, and Trick or Treat in the City, a family adventure trail with characters and challenges, on 24 to 26 and 30 to 31 October. The Scare Factory at Cleeves is a proper frightener and not for small children. Full programme.
- Woodlands Pumpkin Patch, Adare, until Saturday 31 October. Details.
Connacht
- Macnas, Galway, Sunday 25 October, 5.30pm. Free. See above.
- Gaillimh Ah-Boo!, Galway city. The city-wide Samhain festival runs around the bank holiday weekend with free family storytelling, comic-making, a city-wide Thriller dance in Eyre Square and the Tine Lasta fire show. Programme.
- Spooky Fest, Loughwell Farm Park, Co. Galway, over the bank holiday weekend, 11am to 4pm, with the farm open every day of mid-term. Details.
- Brigit’s Garden, Co. Galway. A mid-term spooky treasure hunt included with normal garden admission. Details.
- Scare in the Park, Sligo Folk Park, Riverstown, Friday 30 October. A haunted house and ghost village for a family day out. Details.
- Sligo, the smaller ones. A kids’ Halloween disco at the Clayton Hotel Sligo on Monday 26 October with shows at 1pm and 4pm, the Halloween Howl Disco at Maugherow Hall on Wednesday 28 October at 6pm for €10 a family, and face painting and cookie decorating at Shell’s Café in Strandhill on Friday 30 October from 3pm to 5pm.
- Turlough Park, Co. Mayo. The National Museum of Ireland’s Country Life museum usually runs free drop-in crafts, storytelling tours and a scarecrow trail through mid-term. Check museum.ie for this year’s dates.
Ulster
- Derry Halloween, Wednesday 28 to Saturday 31 October. Free. See above.
- Pumpkin Patch at Belfast City Hall, Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October, 9am to 4pm, in the City Hall grounds. Details.
- Flavours of Autumn, Titanic Belfast, until 15 November. Free activities, with charges for some. Details.
- Halloween Pumpkin Patch, Ark Open Farm, Co. Down, until Saturday 31 October. Details.
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Halloween week: your questions answered
When is the Halloween mid-term break in 2026?
Primary and secondary schools in the Republic of Ireland are off from Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026. Monday 26 is also the October bank holiday, and Halloween is Saturday 31 October.
Which Halloween parades in Ireland are free?
The Macnas parades in Galway (Sunday 25 October) and Dublin (Monday 26 October), the Derry Halloween parade and fireworks (Saturday 31 October), the Dragon of Shandon in Cork (Saturday 31 October) and the Fingal Festival of Fire (Saturday 31 October) are all free to watch.
Are the big parades suitable for young children?
Yes, with a little planning. They are loud, dark and crowded, so arrive early, stand where you can step back, and bring ear defenders for very small children. The Dragon of Shandon deliberately starts just after dark so that younger children can see it before bedtime.
What is free to do with kids in Dublin at Halloween?
Stokerland in St Patrick’s Park runs free all bank holiday weekend, the Macnas parade on Monday 26 October is free, the Fingal Festival of Fire shows on Halloween night are free, and Dublin City Council runs free neighbourhood events across mid-term.
More Halloween ideas from MyKidsTime
- 15 homemade Halloween costume ideas your kids will love
- Family Halloween breaks in Ireland
- 50 fun Halloween activities for kids, with a free checklist
- 12 not-so-scary Halloween games for younger kids
- Everything Halloween on MyKidsTime
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