Hullabaloo! Offaly’s Children’s Art Festival celebrates 20 year milestone
Hullabaloo! Offaly's Children's Arts Festival is celebrating its milestone 20th anniversary edition.
The festival returns from Wednesday, October 28, to Saturday October 31, promising four days packed with creativity across in six towns in Offaly featuring over 110 events designed to spark imagination and inspire young minds.
Attendees can expect workshops, live performance, film, music, dance and storytelling across Birr, Tullamore, Clara, Edenderry, Kilcormac and Kinnitty, as well as in Offaly Libraries.
"Some things get quieter with age. Hullabaloo! is not one of them. As we turn 20, we expand with more events in more locations than ever before," the organisers of Hullabaloo! said.
Since its establishment in Birr in 2007, almost 18,000 children and family members have taken part in Hullabaloo!
The festival still carries its founding idea, to get children to engage in creative practices with professional artists, quality work made for young audiences, and ticket prices kept low so that no family is left out.
Emma Nee Haslam, festival co-founder, said: "Twenty years of Hullabaloo! is far more than a milestone! It represents two decades of wonder, creativity and possibility for the children of Offaly. From its beginnings as a small spark in Birr, it has blossomed into a county-wide celebration that ignites imaginations across towns and communities every October mid-term break.
"The best part is seeing former participants return years later with their own children, passing on the same sense of excitement, discovery and creative confidence that Hullabaloo! inspired in them."
The full 2026 programme is now live. Copies are available in the festival venues at Birr Theatre & Arts Centre, Esker Arts, Creative Places Edenderry, Clara Familly Resource Centre, Kinnitty Community Centre, Kilcormac Development Association and, of course, Offaly Libraries.
Tickets are on sale now from the festival box office, www.HullabalooFestival.ie or 057 9122911, with most events priced at roughly €5 and early booking strongly advised.