All Together Now 2026: Pulp, Kneecap, and Christy Moore Head Sold-Out Waterford Festival
All Together Now, Ireland's most distinctive and intellectually ambitious independent music festival, returns to the Curraghmore Estate in County Waterford from Thursday, 30 July to Monday, 3 August with a sold-out programme that reflects the breadth and ambition that has made it one of the most talked-about events on the Irish cultural calendar. The seventh edition of the festival, which is strictly for over-21s, is headlined by Pulp, Kneecap, Disclosure (DJ Set), and Underworld, with Christy Moore, The Mary Wallopers, Maribou State, Self-Esteem, Ezra Collective, and over 60 other acts completing a programme that spans music, comedy, spoken word, theatre, and wellness across 18 stages.
Background
All Together Now has established itself as something genuinely different in the Irish festival landscape since its launch in 2018. Where other festivals compete on the basis of headline acts and production values, All Together Now has built its reputation on curation — the sense that every act on the bill has been chosen with care, and that the overall experience is greater than the sum of its parts. The Curraghmore Estate, a working farm and historic house in the Comeragh Mountains of County Waterford, provides a setting that is unlike any other festival site in Ireland: intimate, beautiful, and slightly otherworldly.
The over-21s policy, which has been a feature of the festival since its early years, is both a practical decision and a statement of intent. It creates a particular atmosphere — more relaxed, more conversational, more willing to engage with the festival's broader cultural programme — that distinguishes All Together Now from the more youth-oriented events that dominate the Irish festival calendar. The policy has attracted criticism from some quarters, but the festival's consistent sell-out record suggests that it has found a loyal and enthusiastic audience.
The 2026 edition is the seventh chapter of the festival, and the programme reflects the organisers' confidence in their audience's appetite for challenging and diverse programming. The headliners — Pulp, Kneecap, Disclosure, and Underworld — represent a range of musical traditions and generations, from Jarvis Cocker's Britpop icons to Belfast's most provocative rap act to two of the most respected names in electronic music.
Key Developments
The headline bookings have generated significant excitement in the Irish music community. Pulp's appearance at All Together Now will be one of their most intimate Irish shows in years, and the prospect of Jarvis Cocker performing in the grounds of a Waterford country estate has a surreal quality that feels entirely appropriate for the festival. Kneecap, whose rise from Belfast's Irish-language rap scene to international prominence has been one of the most remarkable stories in Irish music in recent years, will be performing to a home crowd that has followed their journey from the beginning.
Christy Moore's inclusion on the bill is a reminder of the festival's commitment to Irish musical heritage alongside its embrace of contemporary sounds. Moore, who has been performing for over five decades, remains one of the most compelling live performers in Ireland, and his appearance at All Together Now will be one of the most anticipated moments of the weekend. The Mary Wallopers, whose energetic take on traditional Irish music has won them a devoted following among younger audiences, provide a bridge between the traditional and the contemporary.
The festival's broader programme — which includes comedy, spoken word, theatre, and wellness activities alongside the music — reflects the organisers' belief that a festival should be a total cultural experience rather than simply a series of concerts. The 18 stages at Curraghmore provide space for everything from intimate acoustic performances to large-scale electronic productions.
Why It Matters
All Together Now matters to Irish culture for reasons that go beyond its impressive lineup. It represents a particular vision of what a festival can be — a space for genuine cultural engagement, for conversation and discovery, for the kind of serendipitous encounters that are increasingly rare in an age of algorithmic recommendation and curated experience. The festival's success has demonstrated that there is a significant audience in Ireland for this kind of event, and its influence can be seen in the programming choices of other Irish festivals that have sought to emulate its approach.
The festival also has significant economic importance for County Waterford, which has historically been one of the less economically dynamic counties in the south of Ireland. The influx of several thousand festival-goers over the August Bank Holiday weekend generates significant activity in the local hospitality and retail sectors, and the festival's profile has helped to raise awareness of Waterford as a destination for cultural tourism.
Local Impact
The Curraghmore Estate, located near Portlaw in County Waterford, is the heart of the festival's local impact. The estate's owners, the de la Poer Beresford family, have been enthusiastic partners in the festival's development, and the relationship between the festival and the local community has been carefully managed to minimise disruption while maximising economic benefit. Shuttle services from Dublin and Waterford city provide transport for festival-goers, with rail connections available to Waterford Plunkett Station. Hotels and guesthouses in Waterford city, Tramore, and Dunmore East are fully booked for the festival weekend, and local restaurants and pubs are expecting their busiest trading of the summer.
What's Next
All Together Now runs from Thursday, 30 July to Monday, 3 August 2026. All tickets are sold out, and organisers have advised against the use of unofficial resale channels due to the risk of counterfeit tickets. The festival's organisers have indicated that planning for the eighth edition will begin in September, with the aim of announcing the 2027 programme in early spring. The success of the 2026 edition — sold out for the third consecutive year — suggests that All Together Now has established itself as a permanent and important fixture on the Irish cultural calendar.
