Bealtaine Festival 2025 – Celebrating 30 years of arts and creativity as we age

Bealtaine Festival, Ireland’s national celebration of the arts and creativity as we age, is 30 years old. To mark its anniversary year, there will be a month-long programme of diverse events nationwide, including an opening weekend at Project Arts Centre in Dublin packed with performances and activities, and a Big Bealtaine Tea Party.

An initiative of Age & Opportunity, the festival runs throughout the month of May. Bealtaine Festival operates across two strands: an in-house programme, curated by Age & Opportunity’s Arts team, and a national programme, made up of hundreds of events organised and curated locally by a wide variety of groups.

Check out some of our festival highlights!

The Big Bealtaine Tea Party
Communities and groups across Ireland are invited to host their own Bealtaine Tea Party on Sunday 4 May, to celebrate the festival’s milestone 30th anniversary. A flagship Tea Party event will also take place at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) on the same day, featuring musical guests, poets, and more. This special event will include the premiere of two new choral works by composers Abigail Smith and Anderinna Gooch, on the theme of ‘Lust for Life’, commissioned for the festival.

The Human Library: Unjudge Someone 
Bealtaine is partnering with the Human Library to host a pop-up Human Library café on Saturday 3 May at Project Arts Centre. At the Human Library, you borrow books like any other library – but here, the ‘books’ are people with personal stories. Each comes from a marginalised group, creating a safe space for open discussions on challenging topics.

Songs and Stories from Silver Stars
Singer-songwriter Seán Millar and guests return to Bealtaine for a special 30th anniversary recital featuring stories and songs from Silver Stars – a series of one-to-one interviews with older Irish gay men, examining maleness, freedom and burden, the truths of prejudice, the truths of family, the truths of love. At Photo Museum Ireland, Dublin, on 17 May.

Tinsmith Demo with James Collins 
Join master tinsmith James Collins as he demonstrates the traditional techniques and decorations involved in making everyday items from tin. James will also share insights from his long career as one of the last remaining tinsmiths in Ireland. Thursday 1 May at Project Arts Centre.

Poetry SOS
Anne Tannam, poet and poetry pharmacist, will prescribe a poem for you, designed to help you feel better. Each session is ten minutes long and pre-booking is essential. In partnership with Poetry Ireland. Free, Booking Essential. Saturday 3 May at Project Arts Centre.

Azure Dementia-Inclusive Tour
National Museum of Ireland Collins Barracks, 28 May 
Azure tours are a free gallery-led experience specifically designed to support people living with dementia and their family, friends or carers, to engage with exhibitions and enjoy a social museum experience. During Azure, you will explore a selection of objects with a facilitator who has received special training in dementia-inclusive arts programming. These tours are followed by complimentary tea/coffee in the Learning Resource Room.

National Arts in Nursing Homes Day, 16 May 2025
National Arts in Nursing Homes Day showcases the wonderful but often hidden creative activity taking place with residents of nursing homes and in day care centres. A partnership with Nursing Homes Ireland, the Bealtaine website includes listings of participating care settings around the country. Events are by invitation only unless otherwise stated.

The 2025 recipients of the National Arts in Nursing Homes Day Award are Beaufort House Nursing Home, Co. Meath; Oakfield Nursing Home, Co. Wexford; Cluain Lir Care Centre, Co. Westmeath; Esker Lodge Nursing Home, Co. Cavan; and Friar’s Lodge Nursing Home, Co. Mayo.

Bookings & Full Programme
For a full list of events and to book events, visit bealtaine.ie or call 01 9133921. For events at Festival HQ (Project Arts Centre), please book directly via projectartscentre.ie.

Register your Bealtaine Event
Your Bealtaine event can be registered via the Bealtaine website. The Bealtaine audience can search your event by locality, artform or date. Registration will remain open throughout the month of May.