How many to visit: Two or three festivals is the right number for a backpacker, spread across a trip of one to two weeks. More than that and you spend the budget on beds and the energy on getting between them. Each event then gets a full weekend, plus the unscheduled bonus of pub sessions in the towns around it. You get time to actually hear the music instead of just queuing for it.
Which kind for your travel style: On a tight budget, choose
free or low-cost town festivals with street programming and pub sessions, where wandering between venues costs nothing but patience. If you want a big lineup, a
multi-day music event brings camping, mud and headliners, and the field at 2 am is a good place to realize your boots are not waterproof. For culture-minded travelers,
literary, trad music and arts …
read more 👉 How many to visit: Two or three festivals is the right number for a backpacker, spread across a trip of one to two weeks. More than that and you spend the budget on beds and the energy on getting between them. Each event then gets a full weekend, plus the unscheduled bonus of pub sessions in the towns around it. You get time to actually hear the music instead of just queuing for it.
Which kind for your travel style: On a tight budget, choose
free or low-cost town festivals with street programming and pub sessions, where wandering between venues costs nothing but patience. If you want a big lineup, a
multi-day music event brings camping, mud and headliners, and the field at 2 am is a good place to realize your boots are not waterproof. For culture-minded travelers,
literary, trad music and arts festivals in small western towns offer talks, workshops and sessions in rooms holding 50 people. City events suit those who want comfort and transport on tap.
What it costs: Budget
€60 to 90 a day for a backpacker in Ireland, rising to €100 to 140 on a festival weekend because beds jump in price. Dorms run €25 to 55 a night, pints €6 to 7.50 in most towns and more in Dublin, and a pub meal €15 to 22. Entry runs from free for many town events to
€10 to 40 for single-day concerts and €200 to 350 for major multi-day camping festivals. Add €10 to 40 for buses to and from venues, and €15 to 25 for a camping pitch where it is not included.
Safety and culture: Ireland is safe, and the usual risks are pickpockets in crowded Dublin and Galway streets and wet-weather misery. Keep phones and wallets in a front pocket in a packed crowd.
Drink spiking is rare but real at big events, so keep your glass in hand. Weather is the more common hazard: rain gear, a dry bag and warm layers matter more than any other item you will bring.
In pubs,
rounds are the rule. If someone buys you a drink, you buy the next, and skipping it is the one social crime that gets noticed. During trad sessions, stay quiet while the musicians play, sit back from the circle unless invited, and clap between tunes. Phones held up the whole time will draw a look sharper than any review. Tipping is modest, around 10 percent for table service and nothing at the bar. Sunday and bank holiday trains and buses run reduced timetables, so check the last departure before you commit to the late set.
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Hi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past 3 decades, I’ve backpacked through 90+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.