New festival aims to brighten the darkest months of the year with comedy, music, stories, family entertainment and a celebration of local people.
DALKEY, CO. DUBLIN — [DATE] — A brand-new festival is coming to Dalkey in 2026, with Dalkey Fun Fest promising to bring comedy, music, entertainment and plenty of local craic to the town during one of the toughest times of the year.
Running across January and February 2026, Dalkey Fun Fest has a simple ambition: bring some light to the darkness — and bring the craic back.
January and February can be difficult months. The Christmas and New Year celebrations are over, daylight hours are short, the weather is cold and wet, people return to work and routines, socialising often decreases and many households are feeling the financial pressure that follows Christmas.
Dalkey Fun Fest wants to change that.
“People need a lift — and local businesses need a lift too,” says the festival team. “We want to give people something to look forward to. A reason to get out, meet friends, laugh, listen to music and enjoy the town we all love.”
The festival will bring entertainment into venues throughout Dalkey and the surrounding area, creating a programme designed to have something for everyone — from comedy and live music to children's entertainment, literature, theatre, storytelling and even a morning sea swim.
A festival built around fun
The programme currently being developed includes appearances and performances from some of Ireland's best-known entertainers, alongside local musicians, performers and community figures.
Planned events include:
- Paul Howard — literature and conversation
- Emma Doran — comedy
- ABBA Esque — a high-energy ABBA celebration
- Elvis and Beatles tribute shows
- Improv comedy, built around the theme: “What is fun about this town?”
- A morning sea swim, bringing together local people, comedians and musicians
- Local bands performing in Dalkey venues
- A potential big-name headline performance
- Face painting
- Balloon and bubbles shows for children
- Magic shows for children
- Hypnosis for adults
- Norma Sheehan — humorous theatre
- Barbara Scully — sharing her story for a mature audience
The festival is also working with venues across the town, with Finnegan's, The Coliemore, Fitzpatrick Castle, The Kings, Graduate, Sandycove Store & Yard, The Club and Fitzgerald's among the venues involved so far.
More performers, events and venues will be announced as the programme develops.
The special event: Dalkey Fun Stories
Eight local people. Eight stories. One very special night.
One of the centrepieces of Dalkey Fun Fest will be Dalkey Fun Stories — an event designed to celebrate the people who make Dalkey what it is.
Eight people who live or work in the town will be invited to step onto the stage and tell one genuinely funny, entertaining or memorable story about Dalkey. They might be a bartender, shopkeeper, hairdresser, café worker, local business owner, community figure or simply someone who has spent years watching the characters and stories of Dalkey unfold.
The idea is simple: Dalkey has thousands of stories. We want to hear some of them.
But the participants won't simply be thrown onto a stage and told to “tell a story”. Dalkey Fun Fest will give the eight storytellers a weekend storytelling course, working with professional storytellers, speakers and comedians to help them discover the best story they have, shape it properly and learn how to deliver it.
The result will be a unique night of true local stories, laughter, characters and memories — told by the people who actually know the town.
And there is an important reason for doing it. Every ticket will help someone locally. All proceeds from Dalkey Fun Stories will go to a local charity, with Dalkey St Vincent de Paul and Sue Ryder among the organisations being considered. That means the event isn't simply about laughing at local stories. It is about giving something back to the community that provides those stories.
The festival team hopes Dalkey Fun Stories can become an annual event, creating a growing archive of the characters, memories and hilarious moments that make Dalkey unique.
“Every town has its stories. Dalkey probably has more than most,” says the festival team. “We wanted to create an event where ordinary local people get to tell those stories properly — and where the money raised goes straight back into helping people locally.”
More than a festival
Dalkey Fun Fest is intended to be about more than individual shows.
It is about getting people out of the house at a time of year when it is easy to stay in. It is about encouraging people to meet friends, discover local venues, support local businesses and experience the town in a different way. And it is about reminding people that January and February don't have to be miserable.
There can be music.
There can be laughter.
There can be a sea swim.
There can be a great night out.
There can be a story you tell for years afterwards.
There can be a bit of craic.
Bring light to the darkness. Bring the craic back.
Dalkey Fun Fest 2026
More information: www.dalkeyfunfest.ie