There’s nothing like a festival to get people together, having fun and celebrating. If you missed last year’s fantastic festival, make sure you don’t miss this year’s.

The Festival of Ferns is all about having fun, celebrating what makes us unique – our people and our heritage.

We have something to suit all ages – activities for kids, buskers on Main Street, music in local pubs, a Celtic jazz concert on Sunday night on the grounds of Ferns Castle, a festival parade followed by an inauguration, re-enactment and performances of music and contemporary dance on an outdoor stage at Ferns Castle.

All events are free and open to all. We want you to share in our celebration, so make sure and save the dates
June 2nd and 3rd, 2024.

Diarmait Inaugurated as King Of Leinster!

Re-enactment and Parade

This year’s Festival of Ferns centres around Diarmait MacMurrough, his inauguration as the King of Leinster and his plans for the future. 

MacMurrough, his followers and his Norman allies will lead the Parade – a visual spectacle of colour and fun to take place on Monday, June 3^rd. 

The Parade will start at 12 noon from St Edan’s Cathedral and will include a Samba band, medieval costumes, giant props and more. 

The Parade finishes at Ferns Castle where the inauguration and re-enactment will be followed by performances on an outdoor stage. 

A mix of contemporary dance, the Chord On Blues choir and Wexford music duo, Rag Doll set to provide great entertainment.

 A great family day out – keep an eye out for face painting and The Snail’s Tale around the Castle grounds. 

See Guided Tours section for details on guided walking tours on Monday.

Family Fun at Ferns Community Park

We have a range of activities for the young and not so young – ideal for a family day out. These activities take place on Sunday, June 2nd from 2pm – 6pm

Activities include:

Bemusement Games by Fuinseog Woodland Crafts. Unique, hand crafted wooden games inspired by traditional games of yore.
Setanta Challenge – Test your skills with the Setanta Challenge.
Medieval Stocks – Have fun trying out this form of medieval punishment.

Norman & Gaelic Names Exhibition

Exhibition by pupils in both local schools. Following a workshop by Ronan O’Flaherty, pupils were invited to research their own Coat of Arms and to create their own if they couldn’t find theirs or if they fancied something different. They had such fun at the workshop discussing the meaning of their names – we look forward to the results. The Exhibition is on Sunday, June 2nd from 2pm – 6pm.

Music in Local Pubs – Trad, Folk, Dixieland, Blues and more……

There will be a feast of music in all Ferns pubs on Sunday, June 2 including Dunbars, Peter Doyle’s, The Thatch and The Courtyard. Music will commence at 3.30pm immediately after the Ferns Patron until late in the evening.

Artists booked to appear include Kieran McEvoy, Karen Dunbar, Pat Fitzpatrick, Eddie Crean & Richard King, Brian Wall & Sean Mythen, Helena Dunbar and her trad group, trad box players PJ Arthur & Lar White and many more. An afternoon and evening of musicianship and enjoyment is sure to ensue so don’t miss out on the fun! Weather permitting many session will be help outdoors. Hopefully on this occasion the weather will oblige so grab your dancing shoes and singing voice and make sure you get to at least one or two of these venues.