Fáilte Ireland has opened applications for its 3-year multi-annual Strategic Tourism Festival Investment Scheme, running from 2026 to 2028.
The aim of the scheme is to support, develop, and deliver a diverse and compelling portfolio of cultural and heritage festivals and events to maximise the benefits for the tourism economy and local destinations.
The scheme is now open for applications from tourism-led festivals that have the potential to create a substantial economic boost for their region, increasing both overnight stays and spending in the destination.
Festivals continue to be an important part of the Irish tourism offering. Fáilte Ireland supports the development of a diverse range of festivals which drive the social and economic contribution of tourism to Ireland. This funding scheme is just one of a number of dedicated festival support streams from the National Tourism Development Authority.
Fáilte Ireland’s current Strategic Festivals Funding Scheme concludes at the end of 2025 and will continue as the Strategic Festival Funding Scheme 2026–2028. The scheme criteria have been developed in line with Fáilte Ireland’s corporate strategy with the aim of generating significant economic benefits, particularly in regional areas and outside of the peak tourism season.
Commenting on the announcement, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke TD said: “This Strategic Tourism Festival Investment Scheme underscores Fáilte Ireland’s commitment to fostering a vibrant tourism industry that will deliver strong economic impact. As this investment focuses on festivals held outside the main season and traditional tourist hotspots, it will help distribute tourism revenue more evenly across the country and throughout the year. This approach will help to diversify local economies, create jobs and generate significant economic impact across various business sectors in communities across the country.”
Director of Product Development at Fáilte Ireland, Orla Carroll said: “By supporting and developing a diverse and compelling portfolio of unique cultural, heritage and outdoor active tourism-led festivals and events, this scheme will drive increased, local, domestic and international tourism numbers and motivate visitors to ‘visit now.’ These tourism-led festivals are crucial in enhancing the visitor experience by encouraging visitors to engage deeply with our culture, heritage, people, and places. This scheme significantly enhance local communities by driving regionality to areas with visitor capacity and animate local towns and cities to make them more attractive and compelling places to both live and visit.”
More information on the application process and eligibility criteria can be found here.
