Brigit: Dublin City Celebrating Women announces full programme

The fifth edition of Brigit: Dublin City Celebrating Women brought to you by Dublin City Council returns from Friday, 30th January to Monday, 2nd February 2026, marking a milestone anniversary with its most ambitious programme yet.

This landmark year will feature over 120 thematic events across the city celebrating St Brigid’s Day, Imbolc and women’s contributions across Irish culture and society. View the full programme and book tickets at dublin.ie/brigit.

Founded in 2022 by the Lord Mayor’s Office, Brigit: Dublin City Celebrating Women takes its name from the ancient Celtic goddess Brigit—a figure associated with creativity, healing, nature, and transformation.

Bridging the gap between ancient tradition and modern life Brigit honouring women’s voices and achievements while welcoming the arrival of spring and all the renewal it brings.

Lord Mayor of Dublin, Ray McAdam is pictured with Frances Wilde, multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter, Alannah Thornburgh, award-winning harpist and Muireann Bradley, 18-year-old country blues guitarist, at the launch of Dublin City Council’s ‘Brigit: Dublin City Celebrating Women 2026’, taking place from Friday 30th January to Bank Holiday Monday 2nd February 2026. Picture Andres Poveda

Commenting on the initiative, Lord Mayor of Dublin, Ray McAdam said: “It’s a great privilege to mark the fifth year of Brigit: Dublin City Celebrating Women. Just as the goddess Brigit was known for her many gifts – from poetry and healing to smithcraft and wisdom – this festival has grown into something truly special for our city, encompassing so many different ways to celebrate women’s achievements.

“This is our chance to recognise the incredible contributions women have made throughout Irish history and continue to make today.

“Reaching this milestone with our largest programme yet is something to be proud of, and I’m looking forward to seeing our city come alive with celebration across the Bank Holiday weekend.”

This year’s programme features a dynamic mix of events celebrating women’s creativity, resilience, and cultural impact.

Throughout the Bank Holiday weekend, from Friday 30th January through to Monday 2nd February, residents and visitors can explore an array of activities – including markets, creative workshops, panel discussions, live performances, walking tours,  and much more – all in honour of Brigit and the women who shape our world.

Exhibitions, Screenings & City Projections

Experience evening projections reimagining the façades of the GPO, Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane and the Palace Building on Dame Street, featuring specially commissioned new work by award-winning creative duo Jill & Gill and Irish visual artist Bebhinn Eilish.

These contemporary projections reflect Brigit’s enduring associations with light, creativity and renewal, bringing a powerful and poetic presence to Dublin city after dark. Join artist Siobhán McDonald and curator Dr. Margarita Cappock for an intimate Exhibition Walkthrough of Passage at The LAB Gallery offering insight into McDonald’s exploration of time, landscape, and the traces we leave behind (Thu 30 Jan,  13:00).

VULVA STORIES returns with its second chapter, expanding into an interactive exhibition that celebrates community through art in all its forms, complete with a newly unveiled Community Wall at The Amulet Gallery. At Photo Museum Ireland, Women & Empathy – An Exhibition Tour & Discussion invites visitors to explore gender, compassion, and human connection through their acclaimed Empathy Machine exhibition.

Get Creative

Hands-on creativity runs throughout this year’s Brigit programme, with a wide range of workshops and participatory experiences designed to engage communities and celebrate women’s artistic and cultural legacies. Throwing Shapes will host a special one-off Brigid’s Day Sculpture Workshop, inspired by the late Manchán Magan’s book 99 Words for Rain and One for Sun.

Offered in his honour, the workshop celebrates language, landscape and our deep relationship with weather and place, with all proceeds supporting Hometree. Literary and creative workshops include a poetry session inspired by Ribín Bríghid / Brat Bríde with poet Grace Wilentz at the Goethe-Institut Ireland, alongside Fire in the Body: Story in the Room — a playful theatre workshop inviting participants to explore creativity, craft and renewal together.

Frances Wilde, multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter, Alannah Thornburgh, award-winning harpist and Muireann Bradley, 18-year-old country blues guitarist are pictured with Charlotte Bridget Collins (14, Drumcondra) and Ellie Cruz (7 Dublin) at the launch of Dublin City Council’s ‘Brigit: Dublin City Celebrating Women 2026. Picture Andres Poveda

Families are invited to take part in Brídeóg doll-making, patchwork quilting inspired by Gerard Dillon’s Little Green Fields, and workshops creating embellished portraits of saints, goddesses and queens.

Additional hands-on experiences include Celtic knot and St Brigid’s Cross fibre workshops, theatrical ritual sessions with The Wild Geeze, textile art workshops with Fck Your Womb*, and creative writing inspired by Brigid’s life and legend with Diarmuid Fitzgerald and Paula Galvin.

Together, these workshops offer opportunities for all ages to explore, create and connect — celebrating Brigid’s enduring spirit through art, storytelling and shared making.

Parade

The Brigit Parade makes its eagerly awaited return, celebrating the strength, beauty, and determination of women across every community as they journey through Dublin’s historic streets. This heartfelt homage honours the remarkable women of our past while lighting the way for generations to come.

Fusing creative performance, rich tradition, and collective celebration, the parade will create an extraordinary experience as it winds through Dublin City Centre on Sunday 1st of February, commencing at 3.30pm at the top of Capel Street. A dynamic mix of performers and community groups will take part with the full line-up to be announced in mid January.

Imbolc Fair

Returning for its fourth year on St Brigid’s Bank Holiday with extended hours from 11:00 – 17:00, the Imbolc Fair will transform Meeting House Square and Curved Street to mark the arrival of spring.

The day features a mix of hands-on workshops and creative experiences for all ages, including Spring Wreath and Flower Crown making workshops with Flowerpop, live screen printing with Damn Fine Print, tufting inspired by Brigit’s symbols with Dublin Tufting, seed-bomb making with Dr.

Sinéad O’Connor, straw and rush crafts with Steffi Otto, a clothes swap with Change Clothes, create a decorative clay tile inspired by St Brigid’s Cross, Traditional butter-making demo with Daisy Cottage Farm, Bridget’s Table returns with food writers Ali Dunworth and Satina Kennedy who explore Brigit’s food and drink connections, and family friendly activities such as Brigit inspired kite-making and facepainting.

Seasonal food and hot drinks will be available throughout the day from Little Catch Seafood and Beanery Vintage Coffee Van.

Joyful, inclusive and intergenerational, the Imbolc Fair offers a welcoming celebration of light, creativity and seasonal change in the heart of the city.

Music, Spoken Word & Performances

Brigit 2026 brings a vibrant mix of performance, music, and storytelling that honours women’s creativity and the many forms the divine feminine can take. Gemma Dunleavy and Muireann Bradley have been announced to headline Brigit x District, a two-night concert series programmed in partnership with District Magazine, taking place at Abbey Presbyterian Church across Friday 30 and Saturday 31 January 2026.

Witches, Bitches & Goddesses presents an intimate performance of their eight-piece song cycle, this year dedicated to Brigit in her triple-goddess form.

Drawing on Slavic and Celtic mythology, collaborators Jelena Soro and Jennifer McMahon offer an electronic, vocal-led devotional to the elements, performed in a private Dublin 7 home with an audience of just thirty people.

Sad Girls Good Vibes: Music by Mná na hÉireann sees Frances Wilde assemble a powerful line-up of women in indie, folk, and alternative music – including April Cleary, Miranda Faul, and Molly Donnery – for a night rooted in vulnerability, storytelling, and catharsis, following the success of last year’s Little Women at Little Whelan’s.

Brigid in Space! lands at The Amulet Gallery, where Dublin musician Birdwoman takes audiences on a fully improvised cosmic adventure, crafting spontaneous songs inspired by the goddess’s many facets.

For those navigating hormonal plot twists, Peri/Menopause Chatter brings women together for honest conversation, shared resilience, and the kind of humour that gets you through the night sweats. No judgement, no pressure, just solidarity, humour, and maybe a fan.

Talks & Seminars

This year’s programme offers a rich array of talks and conversations around the power of Brigit. Join Síle Seoige for a special live podcast edition of Ready to Be Real, presented in partnership with the podcast platform Acast, and a special event marking the launch of Kim Curran’s newest book Brigid who will be in conversation with Donal Fallon.

Other talks include Brigid and Beyond: The Women of Irish Folklore with folklorist Glynnis Cowley, celebrating the creativity, wisdom, and stories of women in Irish myth and legend and Celebrating Irish Women Writers – The Three Laureates, bringing together Éilís Ní Dhuibhne, Patricia Forde, and Vona Groarke in conversation.

On 30th January, the Women in Business: Ignite Your Inner Power event will return to Dublin, presented in partnership with the Local Enterprise Office Dublin City Women in Business.

This seminar will bring together women entrepreneurs from across the city to share insights, inspiration, and practical advice on starting and growing a business.

Women Walking the City

The festival offers a rich programme of walking tours, allowing participants to uncover the remarkable stories of women across Dublin.

Foodies can enjoy a Food Walking Tour with Dee Laffan, combining storytelling, behind-the-scenes visits, and tastings for an immersive culinary experience.

Art lovers can join Her Streets, Her Stories: Walk & Sketch for Brigit’s Day with illustrator Eva Kelly, or take the Family Tour of the National Gallery of Ireland’s collection, focusing on celebrated women in art.

Meanwhile, the Guided Tour: The Patron Saints of Ireland explores early Christian artefacts, revealing the lives of St. Patrick, St. Brigid, and St. Colmcille.

For nature enthusiasts, Women Walk the City: Foraging with Feebee Foran offers a guided exploration of Herbert Park, teaching participants to identify and use wild herbs, while the Sustainability Walking Tour traces Dublin’s vintage and upcycling initiatives.

Pilgrimages include the Imbolc Pilgrimage from Dublin 1 to Clondalkin along the Liffey, and the Cycle to Brigit’s Well: A Cleansing Ceremony and Pilgrimage.

Finally, the Stories of Resilience with Cait White tour and the Women’s Lives Hidden in Buildings route provide intimate insights into women’s contributions to the city across history.

These walking tours offer a hands-on way to connect with Dublin’s past, celebrate women’s achievements, and explore the city through a fresh, empowering lens.

Brigit 2026: Dublin City Celebrating Women is brought to you by Dublin City Council, with kind support from Dublin.ie.