Ballina Festival 2026: Music acts, what's on and more!
Christopher Woods.
Ballina Arts Centre is celebrating Festival 2026 with a mixture of music and wit, as three amazing acts take to the stage during festival week. The Centre's Music@Lunchtime programme continues Wednesday 8th, with Christoper Woods performing on the fiddle.
On Saturday 11th the ever-popular Springsteen - A Tribute are back, and will no doubt have audiences rocking in their seats once again, while on Sunday 19th Kate Kerrigan is back, by popular demand, with her witty, one-woman play Am I Irish Yet?
The Music@Lunchtime series has been popular this year, with packed audiences for all these free lunchtime gigs to date. On the Wednesday of Festival Week, Christopher Woods will perform a selection of fiddle music at 1.15pm. Christoper is a sixteen-year-old fiddle player from Swinford who has been playing since he was 4 years old. Frequently seen at sessions and festivals, he has a number of Connaught Fleadh titles including Mayo U/18 Fiddle Champion.
If you really want a rocking night at this year’s festival, pop along to Springsteen- A Tribute on Saturday night. This band had the audience dancing in the seats during their last visit, bringing all the passion and energy of Bruce Springsteen’s classic hits to life. The seven-piece band comprises top Irish musicians who have played with acts such as Mary Black, Van Morrison, and Sinead O’Connor. It is fronted by Monte Thompson, whose ability to match Bruce’s intricate vocal style, performance, and even facial expressions, has even the most die-hard fans impressed. Springsteen – A Tribute is a breathtaking, high-energy, show that is a must-see spectacle for all fans of the Boss.
Finally, on Sunday 19th Am I Irish Yet? returns to the Art Centre for the third time. Kate Kerrigan, the New York best-selling novelist and author, was born to Irish parents. She spent her childhood in London in the 80‘s, where the London-Irish were known as the ‘Bombing Irish’ or Plastic Paddys’. She moved back to her parents native Ireland in the 90’s and, thirty-five years on, with an Irish husband and Irish children, she brings the wisdom and wit of her award-winning writing to bear on the question of her own Irishness.
These three great shows provide three excellent ways to participate in this year’s festival atmosphere, so book your tickets early, online or via the box office on 096 73593, and help Ballina Arts Centre celebrate the 2026 Salmon Festival.
