Púca Festival reaches the Pinnacle with major international award

Launch event celebrates success of Meath's Halloween showcase

Ciara Sugrue, Head of Festivals and Events at Fáilte Ireland, landed at the launch of the Púca Festival in Trim last week with a special surprise - the Grand Pinnacle Award from the 2024 International Festival and Events Association (IFEA) convention in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

She had just travelled home from America the day before with the prestigious international prize. The award recognises festival excellence in the $500,000 to $1 million budget category.

Speaking at the launch in Trim, hosted by radio presenter and Something Happens singer, Tom Dunne, Ms Sugrue said that the award put the Púca Festival in really high company.

“Some 300 festivals attend this convention,” she said. “From Irish festivals in the US to rodeo festivals, Christmas holiday parades, Thanksgiving parades, and there were winners internationally from Korea, Bangkok, and Sydney.”

Earlier, cathaoirleach of Meath County Council, Sharon Tolan, had told the audience that last year's festival had attracted over 43,000 people to Athboy and Trim over the Halloween weekend, bringing in revenue of €4.6 million to the locality, an increase of $1.6 million on the previous year.

“So far this year, we have excelled the target for international visitors, with 17 per cent of ticket sales from abroad already,” she stated.

The launch event offered a preview of the exciting programme that will transform Ireland’s Ancient East into festival hubs. A panel discussion took place with Ms Sugrue and festival partners, Kieran Kehoe, CEO, Meath County Council, and festival co-director, Martin Nolan of MPI artists, highlighting the festival’s evolution since 2019, its growing international profile, and its potential to attract over 50,000 visitors this year.

Ciara Sugrue outlined how the festival came about, following an open call for tourism product motivators.

“One of the good ideas that was being considered for a while was reclaiming Halloween for Ireland and really establishing Ireland as the home of Halloween, and getting the word out there, because it’s not widely known.

“We did some research and did a feasibility study, which resulted in us identifying Meath, and the importance of the Hill of Ward, and of course the whole county is full of heritage and tradition,” she continued.

She said that festivals are important for creating a focus on a destination, and giving that destination a showcase opportunity.

“We talked to Meath County Council, who were into it straight away. And the people of Athboy and Trim really brought into it. And we're here for the long haul.”

The festival has an economic benefit of about €5 million, and supports some 150 jobs over the days of the festival, she continued, also paying tribute to the local community and volunteers involved.

"We have an overall ambition of seeing Ireland on the global stage as the home of Halloween, and we want Puca to be the flagship of that," Ms Sugrue stated. "We have a 10-year vision for it, and we want to see 100,000 visitors by 2030.”

Looking ahead to this year's programme, Martin Nolan said that the closing procession from last year will be this year's opening event.

Reliving the ancient custom when a fire was lit on the Hill of Ward in Athboy and distributed across the country, a ceremonial fire will be lit on the Hill of Ward on Thursday 31st October, and the flame brought in procession through the Fair Green, with a special guest lighting the fire.

“Everybody will be invited to write a name of their ancestors or departed loved one and these will be placed in the fire bowl and the sacred flame which will be lit there,” he says.

There will be new sensory events and area at this year's festival, in partnership with Nua Healthcare, and a greater sustainability focus.

Local groups involved in the Saturday procession will include the Olympiad group, Athboy and Trim Men's Sheds, Dunderry Fair, Trim Drama Group, Athboy High Nellies, as well as local musicians.

“It will be one of the biggest parades in the country,” Martin said. “There will be more characters in it. Fáilte Ireland have invested a massive amount in it.”

The launch evening featured a musical performance by Emma Langford and a circus act from Broken Theatre, showcasing the variety of entertainment in store for Púca Festival 2024.

Acts this year include Gavin James, Kingfishr, Bell X1, The High Kings, Dermot Whelan, Panti Bliss, Mary Coughlan, Deirdre O’Kane, Neil Delamere, The Dirt Birds, Davina Devine, Tom Dunne, Fiachna O’Braonáin and Alan Connor, Emma Langford, Ruaile Buaile, Qween and Dublin Gospel Choir, The Classic Beatles, The Hans Zimmer Experience, Leftfield (DJ Set) and Jenny Greene, and Kilcock singer Eimer Crehan who will be opening for Tom Dunne's show.

Pa Sheehy, former Walking on Cars frontman, will join Bell X1 as a special guest at the Púca Big Top on Saturday 2nd November, and also just added is Craicly Stories where the Irish storytelling community will bring ghostly tales to life, featuring special guest Sinead O’Brien from her recent sold-out Edinburgh Fringe shows.

Concluding, Meath Chief Executive Officer, Kieran Kehoe said that across the world, he hoped that Meath would become to Halloween what the North Pole is to Christmas.