MAKING AN ENTRANCE…

Five Lamps Arts Festival Takes Centre Stage with Over 50 Events in Best Yet Festival Line-up

Festival takes place across Dublin’s North Inner City from April 11-19, featuring dance, music, theatre, comedy, exhibitions, and so much more

The streets will be alive with the sound of music, dance, performance, and more, as the line-up for the 2026 Five Lamps Arts Festival has finally been revealed.

With over 20 venues and 100-plus artists taking part, events will be taking place across the inner city, from the city streets to theatre spaces to arts venues.

Now in its nineteenth year, the festival is all about showcasing imagination and creativity, shining a light on local arts and culture, and bringing to life that spirit of community characteristic of the north inner city.

Dubliners and visitors alike can look forward to a huge variety of artistic experiences, from theatre to film, from comedy to exhibitions, from dance battles to music sessions, from puppet shows to clown walkabouts.

There’ll be lots of immersive ways to dive into your own cultural talents too, with workshops in songwriting, sean nós singing, poetry, and storytelling. Plus, there’ll be opportunities to explore the city, with guided tours of the Casino Marino and the Custom House, not to mention fun for all the clan with a Family Day Out at the Mud Island Community Garden on Sunday April 19.

Stealing the Show

Among the festival highlights this year are:

  • Battle of Zen curated by dance artist Jessie Thompson (April 12, Coopers Cross Town Hall, Mayor Street Upper)—an afternoon of high-energy performance is in store as top street dancers, from Ireland and abroad, engage in electrifying dance battles to be crowned winners. An afternoon of hip moves and fancy footwork not to be missed for all the family.
  • Inside the Mind of a Do-Gooder (April 13, Gate Theatre Community Room, Parnell Square)—read by Phelim Drew, this is an entertaining stage story of a social worker trying to keep the faith, but caught between illusion, delusion and eventual disillusion. Written by former social worker, Patrick O’Dea, it is at once both entertaining and compelling.
  • CHOP! (April 13, Sean O’Casey Theatre, St Mary’s Road)—aimed at teenagers, this new show from LORDS OF STRUT, written and performed by Cian Kinsella, features a lone wood-chopper stuck in a strange, end-of-the-world loop, hacking away as everything around him falls apart. Dangerously funny, it is a wildly absurd romp into fragile masculinity, environmental collapse, and the insatiable hunger for more.
  • Comedy Showcase (April 14, Annesley House, North Strand Road)—make sure to avoid the front row and get your tickets early for this hilarious evening of alternative comedy with Sophia Wren, Stephanie Elle, and Karl Spain. Hosted by Aideen McQueen, audiences can expect sharp wit, playful banter and barrels of laughs.
  • Paddy: The Life & Times of Paddy Armstrong (April 15 & 16, Sean O’Casey Theatre, St Mary’s Road)—this one-man show starring Don Wycherley tells the inspiring story of Paddy Armstrong, one of the Guildford Four, who was wrongfully convicted and jailed for 15 years. A man failed and scarred by a flawed system, Paddy is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of forgiveness.
  • QOW Trio (April 15, The Grand Social, Liffey Street Lower)—an evening of swing, melody and a whole of lot of soul is in store as the QOW Trio return following their last sold-out Dublin show. The fearless threesome mixes it up with deep jazz tradition and untamed, free improvisation.
  • Eastrogen Rising: A Rebel Cabaret (April 16, Annesley House, North Strand Road)—this fast-paced celebration of the women of 1916, so often overlooked, from the fighters and the messenger girls, to the widows and the looters, includes song, poetry, theatre and spoken word. By turns comic, tragic and rabble-rousing, has much changed in the past 100 years?

Curtain’s Up!

Commenting on this year’s stellar line-up, Róisín Lonergan, Artistic Director of the Five Lamps Arts Festival, said: “At its core, the Five Lamps Arts Festival is about celebrating belonging and showcasing all that our vibrant community has to offer. Whether you fancy a night of drama, a guided tour, a dance spectacle, or even some clowning around, there’s something for both the young and young-at-heart at this year’s festival. Many events are free too, so make sure to book your place early. Let the festivities begin!”

For details of all the performances, venues, dates, and times, visit www.fivelampsarts.ie or follow on Facebook and Instagram @5lampsarts

The Five Lamps Arts Festival is supported by RTÉ Supporting the Arts.