All Together Now Festival Closes Its Seventh Sold-Out Chapter at Curraghmore Estate in Waterford
The seventh edition of All Together Now has drawn to a close at the historic Curraghmore Estate in Portlaw, County Waterford, with the independent festival completing another sold-out bank holiday weekend that has firmly established it as one of the most distinctive and beloved events on the Irish cultural calendar.
Background
All Together Now launched in 2018 as a deliberate alternative to the large-scale commercial festival model, positioning itself as a curated, intimate, and values-driven event that prioritised artistic quality, community, and sustainability over sheer scale. The Curraghmore Estate, a working estate in the Comeragh foothills of County Waterford, provides a setting of extraordinary natural beauty that has become inseparable from the festival's identity.
Over seven editions, the festival has built a fiercely loyal audience drawn by its eclectic programming across 18 stages, its commitment to independent and emerging artists alongside established headliners, and its emphasis on spoken word, comedy, theatre, art installations, and wellness programming alongside the music. The 21-plus age restriction has also shaped the atmosphere, creating an event that feels distinctly adult in its ambitions and its crowd.
The 2026 edition ran from Thursday, 30 July, to Sunday, 2 August, spanning the full bank holiday weekend. Tickets sold out months in advance, continuing a run of consecutive sell-outs that has made All Together Now one of the most in-demand festival tickets in Ireland.
Key Developments
This year's programme drew particular praise for the breadth and quality of its music programming, with Traffic and Pulp among the acts generating the most discussion on the opening day. The festival's spoken word and comedy stages, which have become increasingly central to its identity, again attracted strong audiences, with several sessions running to capacity.
The wellness and mindfulness programming, which sets All Together Now apart from most Irish festivals, continued to draw significant engagement, with morning yoga sessions, guided meditation, and talks on mental health and community resilience all well attended. The festival's food village, which prioritises Irish producers and sustainable sourcing, was also widely praised by attendees.
Transport to and from the Curraghmore Estate was managed through a combination of Bus Éireann festival shuttles from Dublin, Waterford, and Cork, and shuttle services from Waterford Plunkett Station, which received services from Dublin, Cork, Galway, and Belfast. Organisers reported that the transport arrangements ran smoothly across the four days.
Why It Matters
All Together Now occupies a unique position in the Irish festival landscape. Unlike Electric Picnic, which has grown into a mass-market event, or the various city-based summer festivals, it has maintained a scale and ethos that feels genuinely independent. Its success is a demonstration that there is a substantial Irish audience for a festival that takes artistic curation seriously and that treats its attendees as adults capable of engaging with challenging and diverse programming.
For County Waterford, the festival is also a significant economic event. The Curraghmore Estate and the surrounding area benefit from the influx of thousands of visitors over the bank holiday weekend, and the festival's reputation for quality has helped to raise the profile of Waterford as a cultural destination. This is the third consecutive year in which the festival has sold out, a run that reflects both the strength of the programming and the loyalty of its audience.
Local Impact
In Portlaw and the wider Waterford area, the festival weekend brings a visible boost to local businesses, accommodation providers, and transport services. The Curraghmore Estate itself, which is one of the largest private estates in Ireland, benefits from the partnership with the festival organisers, and the relationship between the event and its host community has been broadly positive. Local volunteers and staff play a significant role in the festival's operations, and the event has become a source of seasonal employment for many people in the area.
What's Next
The All Together Now team will now begin the process of reviewing the 2026 edition and planning for 2027. Ticket registration for next year's event is expected to open in the autumn, with demand anticipated to be as strong as ever. For the Curraghmore Estate, the return to normal operations after the festival weekend marks the beginning of the quieter autumn season, though the estate's calendar of events continues through the year.
