Next: about 1 to 30 Sept 2027
Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival
Ireland's month-long September matchmaking festival in County Clare, with dances, a matchmaker and a Wedding Book of past couples.
When is Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival in 2027?
Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival 2027 runs from 1 to 30 September 2027. The date follows the moon or a local calendar, so it can move by a day. Other years: 2026, 1 to 30 September 2026; 2028, 1 to 30 September 2028.
About Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival
The Lisdoonvarna festival grew from the old autumn custom when farmers, with the harvest in, came to the spa town of Lisdoonvarna in County Clare to find a spouse. Bachelors and others arrived by train for a holiday and a chance of a match, and the town's dance halls filled. Today it runs through most of September with live music, set dancing, and a resident matchmaker, Willie Daly, who keeps a leather-bound book of names. Visitors come from many countries, most for the dances rather than a husband, though marriages are still credited to it.
Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival dates: 2026, 2027, 2028
| Year | Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 to 30 September 2026 |
| 2027 | 1 to 30 September 2027 |
| 2028 | 1 to 30 September 2028 |
This date follows the moon or a local calendar and can move by a day, so check with a local source nearer the time.
What is served
- Irish stew
- soda bread
- tea and cake
Wedding customs of Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival
Also part of it, and being written: Lisdoonvarna (The Clare spa town that hosts it.), Set dance (The social dance of the festival halls.).
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Background: "Lisdoonvarna" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Matchmaking: Pavel Fedotov, Public domain, source