Experience the best events in Galway—completely free! Explore This is Galway's Ultimate Budget-Friendly Events Guide and never miss out on top happenings without spending a cent.
Please note: This article will be updated as events take place meaning that this article can be your go-to no matter the day of week or time of year.
Music: Electric Blue: the cranberries tribute band
When: August 1st, at 10pm
Where: Sally Longs
More information here
Sally Longs Rock Bar are delighted to welcome Electric Blue: the cranberries tribute band, for a night of Linger, Dreams and all the top hits. Based in Italy, Electric Blue are excited to bring their high-energy live show to Galway for one night only! This is a free gig so be sure to get here early!
Music: The Galway Ukers
When: August 2nd, from 8.30pm
Where: Róisín Dubh
More information here
The Galway Ukers lit up the stage as the opening act of Galway’s premier ukulele festival, GalwayUkeFest.com, banging out all the hits from Bronski Beat to The Beatles. This 12-piece powerhouse has brought their signature blend of harmonies, humor, and high-energy ukulele to stages across Ireland — including festival slots at Electric Picnic and gigs alongside legends like The Waterboys.
Guided Tour: Galway City Museum Highlights
When: August 2nd, at 12pm
Where: Galway City Museum
More information here
Join Damien Donnellan, Education and Exhibitions Assistant, for a free guided tour to learn about the fascinating stories behind some of the objects on display, including the oldest known Claddagh Ring, a medieval physician’s cup and more! The tour starts at the Museum reception desk. Booking required, please contact Galway City Museum at museum@galwaycity.ie or 091 532460.
Music: Siúcra
When: August 8th, at 9pm
Where: Sally Longs
More information here
Sally Longs Rock Bar are delighted to welcome back Siúcra, for a night of folk & blues. Siúcra is an incredible 6-piece Galway based band featuring a rich infusion of blues, rock, folk and trad, fronted by the fantastic Ophelia Mortimer. The past and future EP’s will be played, Ozzy Osbourne will be honoured, and they’ll make this the sauciest gig of the summer. Playing on the night with special guests; trad aficionados Sabbages, make their long awaited and postponed Galway debut. And making their stage debut, porter fused rock and roll ragamuffins The Bechamel Boys. This is a free gig so be sure to get here early!
Shop: The Market
When: August 9th, from 11.30am
Where: Electric
More information here
To the vintage lovers, the preloved obsessives, and anyone who can’t bear to see good clothes go to waste – this one’s for YOU! The Market is composed of Paula (Paula Loves Vintage), Marianne (Lawlessontrend) and Jasmin (vintage_galway), 3 veterans of the market scene in Galway. They’ve decided that the time is right to set up their own indoor vintage and preloved market, focusing on carefully curated vintage and preloved clothing, vintage homewares, vinyl and some creative stalls. They are building something for vintage lovers who want the thrill of finding unique pieces in a beautiful space with a strong sense of style and quality. Join them for a mosey and a root through style gone by and perhaps pick up a gem you didn’t know you needed in your wardrobe. On the day you will be able to shop from a range of vintage and preloved clothes, vinyl, and homeware.
Guided Tour: Galway City Museum for Families
When: August 9th, at 12pm
Where: Galway City Museum
More information here
Join Damien Donnellan, Education and Exhibitions Assistant, for a free guided tour to learn about the origins of Galway and to hear fascinating stories behind some of the objects on display, including the oldest known Claddagh Ring and the statue of Pádraic Ó Conaire. The tour starts at the Museum reception desk. Booking required, please contact Galway City Museum at museum@galwaycity.ie or 091 532460.
Heritage Week: Claddagh Ring Tour
When: August 16th, at 12pm
Where: Galway City Museum
More information here
Join Damien Donnellan for the last in a series of object-focused tours for Heritage Week 2025. Each day from the 16th August to Friday 22nd August, Damien highlighted a different object from the museum’s exhibitions, sharing its unique story and exploring its broader historical context. Uncover the origins of the oldest known Claddagh ring, crafted around 1700 by Galway goldsmith Richard Joyce. Hear the captivating tale of Joyce’s capture by Barbary pirates and his time in North Africa and discover how the Claddagh ring became a symbol of Galway’s heritage. Tours begin at the Museum reception desk. Booking is required – please contact museum@galwaycity.ie or 091 532460.
Heritage Week: The Statue of Padraic Ó Conaire
When: August 19th, at 12pm
Where: Galway City Museum
More information here
Join Damien Donnellan for the last in a series of object-focused tours for Heritage Week 2025. Each day from the 16th August to Friday 22nd August, Damien highlighted a different object from the museum’s exhibitions, sharing its unique story and exploring its broader historical context. Discover the story of Pádraic Ó Conaire, born in Galway in 1882, who became the leading Irish-language writer of his generation. Learn about the creation of his memorial statue by sculptor Albert Power, its unveiling in Eyre Square in 1935, and its journey to Galway City Museum. Damien will explore both the life of Ó Conaire and the fascinating history of this iconic Galway landmark. Tours begin at the Museum reception desk. Booking is required – please contact museum@galwaycity.ie or 091 532460.
Heritage Week: The Galway Shawl
When: August 20th, at 12pm
Where: Galway City Museum
More information here
To celebrate Heritage Week, Museum staff have prepared a special tour that begins with the origins of Galway – from Gaelic fort to Anglo-Norman town – and then focuses on an iconic object that reveals a story that has helped to shape the city’s unique character. Shawls were once a common item of women’s clothing. Draped around shoulders or head and wrapped about the body, they came in various shapes, sizes, patterns, and colours. Some shawls were worn purely for fashion, while others were worn to protect the wearer from the cold, wind, and rain. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, one type of shawl, which was made in Scotland, became so popular in the west of Ireland that it became known as the ‘Galway Shawl.’ Join them to learn more. Tours begin at the Museum reception desk. Booking is required – please contact museum@galwaycity.ie or 091 532460.
Heritage Week: The Great Mace of Galway
When: August 21st, at 12pm
Where: Galway City Museum
More information here
To celebrate Heritage Week, Museum staff have prepared a special tour that begins with the origins of Galway – from Gaelic fort to Anglo-Norman town – and then focuses on an iconic object that reveals a story that has helped to shape the city’s unique character. Made around 1710 and presented to Galway by Mayor Edward Eyre, the Great Mace is a highly ornate piece of silverware, decorated with the insignia of England (rose), France (fleur-de-lis) Scotland (thistle) and Ireland (harp). It also bears the arms of Galway and of the British royal family. The Mace was in the possession of US newspaper magnate, William Randolph Hearst, from the 1930s to the 1950s, but were returned to Galway in 1961. Tours begin at the Museum reception desk. Booking is required – please contact museum@galwaycity.ie or 091 532460.
Heritage Week: The Galway Hooker
When: August 22nd, at 12pm
Where: Galway City Museum
More information here
To celebrate Heritage Week, Museum staff have prepared a special tour that begins with the origins of Galway – from Gaelic fort to Anglo-Norman town – and then focuses on an iconic object that reveals a story that has helped to shape the city’s unique character. Galway Hookers, with their distinctive black hulls and rust-red sails, are the traditional boat of Galway Bay. They were traditionally used for fishing and for transporting cargo – turf, seaweed, limestone, livestock, and general supplies – and people around the coasts of Galway and North Clare. The ‘fountain’ in Eyre Square represents the sails of a Galway Hooker. Join them to learn more. Tours begin at the Museum reception desk. Booking is required – please contact museum@galwaycity.ie or 091 532460.
Heritage Week: The Story of Living by the Sea - A Coastal Heritage Journey
When: August 23rd, at 10am
Where: Grattan Beach
More information here
Join Galway City Museum and Galway Atlantaquaria for a special Heritage Week event on Grattan Beach, Salthill. You are all invited to celebrate this year’s Heritage Week theme, “Exploring Our Foundations,” with a morning of seaside storytelling, fossil hunting, and shoreline discovery. This event is open to all ages and offers a unique chance to connect with our natural heritage and uncover the stories hidden in our coastal landscape. This event is FREE and family-friendly.
Heritage Week: Wonderful Wildflowers – a guided walk
When: August 23rd, at 2pm
Where: Brigit's Garden
More information here
A lovely opportunity to enjoy a guided walk through the wonderful variety of wildflower meadows at Brigit’s Garden and appreciate their importance for biodiversity. Expert Dolores Keegan will help identify a wide range of wild plants and Jenny Beale of Brigit’s Garden will share tips on how to successfully grow both annual and perennial meadows. Ideal for anyone interested in growing wildflowers in their gardens or community spaces.
Heritage Week: Trees in Irish culture and mythology – a guided walk
When: August 24th, at 11am
Where: Brigit's Garden
More information here
Join nature guide Carol Barrett for an interactive walk through the woodlands at Brigit’s Garden to learn about our native trees and shrubs and their importance in Ireland’s culture and mythology. Carol will also discuss Ogham script, where each letter is related to a tree, and address the importance of nature in the Brehon laws. Everyone will have the opportunity to make a wooden Ogham pendant to take home. Suitable for adults and interested teens.
Heritage Week: Family nature-based storytelling workshop in the woods
When: August 24th, at 2pm
Where: Brigit's Garden
More information here
Join storyteller and forest school leader Carol Barrett in the woods at Brigit’s Garden for an interactive storytelling workshop that will bring Irish nature-based myths and legends alive for children. Be prepared to get involved, dress up and have lots of fun! There will be costumes, masks and materials to get creative with and help act out the stories and legends. The workshop will be held under a large outdoor shelter which provides a dry, weatherproof space amongst the native trees. Suitable for adults with children aged 4+, but younger ones also welcome.
Music: The Dark Well
When: September 25th, from 8pm
Where: Róisín Dubh
More information here
The Dark Well – A Ground Breaking Collaboration of Banjo & Harmonica at Róisín Dubh. Two masters of their craft, Enda Scahill and Joel Andersson, come together to create something never before heard—a full album of Irish music on banjo and harmonica, a world-first recording that reimagines the tradition with breathtaking virtuosity and innovation.
Music: Nature TV
When: October 2nd, from 11.59pm
Where: Róisín Dubh
More information here
Door-to-door heartbreak salesmen Nature TV peddle an elixir of escapism and adventure. Sorrow and despondency. Contemplative nostalgia and tender melancholy. Hailing from Brighton it’s a canvasing technique they employ around the British Isles. Geographically out of phase with the main character energy of London, Guy Bangham (guitar, vocals), Josh Eriskin (bass) and James Hunt (lead guitar, backing vocals) write sadboi yacht rock, layered with all the buried trauma of a Wes Anderson plot. Playing in the Róisín Dubh, Galway on October 2nd, support on the night will be The Works.
Music: the drive.
When: November 6th, from 11.59pm
Where: Róisín Dubh
More information here
Dynamic and autonomous, Cork-based outfit the drive. have crafted a sound that fuses the dark, visceral energy of grunge with the reverb-drenched textures of shoegaze. A string of standalone singles first garnered international attention – earning the group US airtime, extensive press across Ireland and the UK, and features on Spotify’s ‘melomania.’ and the cover of ‘Alternative Ireland’. A band acclaimed for their captivating live performances of melancholic works, the drive. have built an impressive live résumé; with their stage successes including sold-out headline shows across Ireland – such as Whelan’s Upstairs and The Grand Social (Dublin), and Cyprus Avenue (Cork) – alongside festival circuits throughout the UK and Ireland. With a growing reputation and a unique sonic identity, the drive. have rightfully earned their place as one of Ireland’s most exciting emerging bands.
Music: Kling Klang
When: December 4th, from 11.59pm
Where: Róisín Dubh
More information here
Kling Klang are an artrock synthesizer band influenced by krautrock / noise / experimental / stoner music such as Neu!, Black Sabbath, Suicide, Trans Am and TwinKranes. The band are currently touring in support of their upcoming release on Wrong Speed Records, and the repress of their critically acclaimed debut LP “The Esthetik Of Destruction”. The current lineup features Joe McLaughlin, George McFall and Ricky White alongside Jon Hamilton from Part Chimp.
Feature photo by Chaosheng Zhang
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