Earlier this month, Beyond The Pale unveiled its expansive 2026 arts programme, once again reinforcing the festival’s reputation as one of Ireland’s most creatively ambitious cultural gatherings. Blending music, visual art, performance, cabaret, comedy and immersive experiences across the Glendalough landscape, this year’s edition promises another boundary-pushing weekend. We caught up with Emily Brennan, Arts and Programme Manager at Beyond The Pale, to talk about the ideas shaping the programme, the festival’s collaborative spirit, and what audiences can expect when they arrive in Wicklow this June.
With the full Beyond The Pale music and arts programme now revealed, how would you describe the overall energy of this year’s festival?
I would describe this year’s festival as an uncompromising celebration of talent. Be that in the musicians, performers, visual artists, designers, curators, light and sound techs, a big goal of ours is to achieve a spectacle of excellence, but the biggest goal is for everyone to have an amazing weekend. Last year’s festival was such a joyous achievement that the energy coming into this year has been really exciting. Everyone who works on the festival has such a love for it and I hope that translates to the audience. The crowd at BTP is always amazing. People who love music and having a good time. This is the energy I expect again for 2026.
Beyond The Pale is unparalleled in giving music and arts almost equal festival billing. When you look across the 75+ arts events now announced, what key themes or ideas shape this year’s arts lineup?
With the arts line up in particular, we are trying to showcase the best of Ireland’s creatives. With the current Celtic revival in music and arts, we like to shine a light on elastic ideas of Irishness, particularly in our Puc Fada programme. Throughout the arts programme you will see themes of past and present collapsed onto each other. Contemporary expressions of tradition colliding in everything from trad sessions and lilting to cabaret and drag and some undefinable madness in between.
A lot of our programme is connected to themes of Glendalough itself. It’s Monastic, then Viking, then Rebel history. The various mythologies surrounding St. Kevin and the rich celestial period in which the festival takes place. (around the time of the Strawberry or Harvest Moon, hence the Strawberry Fields stage, and the Summer Solstice)
Beyond The Pale thrives on variety. What’s the most exciting part of shaping an arts programme that spans from comedy to cabaret to hip‑hop to visual art, all at the same festival?
One of the most exciting parts of the job is the lack of limits on imagination. We work with an incredible group of makers who bring the vision to life and no idea is too weird, even if it is logistically difficult!
Another really exciting part of my job is getting to review the submissions we receive through our open call. The breath of talent and creativity on display can be overwhelming sometimes. This year we received a bigger response to the open call than ever before which made the selection process difficult but it is a fantastic opportunity to encounter people’s work that you might not have otherwise.
Artist‑led programming is a big part of the festival’s identity. How did the newly revealed artists and collectives help shape the personality of this year’s edition?
Yes, we love having the opportunity to give an artist or a collective a chance to take over a few hours on a stage. Our programming team is a small group and opening up sections of the programme in this way creates such a broader programming perspective with people who are already tastemakers in their own right. They can speak to audiences that we might otherwise not reach. This year we have a few really exciting takeovers from the likes of We Are Griot, Tender, Steo Wall and SexyTadhg to name a few.
Special commissions are always a standout at Beyond The Pale. Which new pieces or collaborations feel especially exciting or meaningful to you?
SUN STOP has to be my favourite commission from over the years of BTP. It is a stone circle designed by architects Eibhlin Ni Chathasaigh and James Albert Martin, which sits at the top of the campsite hill and catches both the Sunrise and Sunset for a few days around the Summer Solstice period, which the festival takes place during. It’s a pretty magical place at 5am. It’s one of my favourites because it stays in place all year round and each year builds on its own mythology. This year Una Mullaly’s commissioned piece GRIANSTAD: The Trip will set off from SUN STOP.
Battle of the Clans is another exciting new piece coming this year which will see duelling tribal clans take each other on in a series of queered ancient games in Tailteann Tournaments.
When you imagine people leaving Glendalough on Monday, after the music, the art, the late‑night worlds and the unexpected moments, what do you hope stays with them?
I hope they leave with holes in their socks from dancing, a couple new mates and their tent (leave no trace!).
Mostly I hope they come away with a new favourite artist. That over the weekend they stumble upon an artist they had never heard of before, but are buying tickets for their next gig on the bus ride home.
The fifth edition of Beyond The Pale lands June 12–14, 2026 at Wicklow’s Glendalough Estate. Secure your spot now, with weekend camping and Sunday day tickets available at itsbeyondthepale.ie and Ticketmaster.
