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. For Galway’s full events calendar, visit thisisgalway.ie.
Shop: Galway Indoor Market
When: October 24th, 11am - 5pm
Where: The Cornstore
More information here
Outset Design welcomes you back to the Cornstore this Autumn for a diverse range of stalls that showcase the best of Vintage, Retro, Secondhand & Hand Made from Independent Businesses and Creative Individuals from Galway & beyond with live music from local musicians. Expect to discover new and retro vinyl, clothing, jewellery, furniture, crafts, originals art & botany. This is the perfect opportunity to select handcrafted & unique pieces from independent creatives, ideal for gifting loved ones too.
Halloween Family Workshop: Make a Traditional Jack-o’-Lantern
When: October 27th at 11am
Where: Galway City Museum
More information here
The Halloween custom of carving grotesque faces into hollowed-out turnips and using them as lanterns was once widespread across Ireland and Britain. On Halloween night, these lanterns were set atop walls, fences, or gates, left glowing in graveyards, or hung swinging from trees to startle passers-by after dark. In Ireland, the turnip lantern was known as ‘Jack of the Lantern’ or ‘Jack-o’-Lantern’, and it was closely associated with an old folk tale. Join Brendan McGowan, Museum Education Officer, as he tells the story of this old Halloween tradition. Afterwards, carve your own traditional turnip lantern with artist and arts educator Vicky Smith. All materials are provided. Admission is FREE, but early booking is advised as places are limited. For bookings, please email Museum@GalwayCity.ie or call (091) 532460. This event is suitable for families with children aged 6 to 12 – please specify child’s age when booking. If you cannot attend the workshop, have a go from home by following these online INSTRUCTIONS. This event is part of Gaillimh Ah-Boo! – a city-wide celebration of Samhain supported through Fáilte Ireland’s Home of Halloween Destination Development Scheme.
Halloween Family Workshop: Spooky Halloween in LEGO®
When: October 28th at 11.30am
Where: Galway City Museum
More information here
Join brick artist Jessica Farrell for a Halloween-themed LEGO® family workshop at Galway City Museum. This workshop is specially designed for families with neurodivergent children aged 7 and over. It offers a relaxed, collaborative, and creative learning experience that uses LEGO® bricks to build and create together. Each family group may include up to four people, with a minimum of one adult and one child. This format supports the workshop’s core aim: to encourage shared creativity, communication, and learning through cooperative play. To remain mindful of sensory needs, including noise levels, attendance is limited to a maximum of 20 participants. Families will take part in LEGO® building activities that explore Halloween stories and traditions. These guided exercises promote imagination, building skills, and communication, while allowing families to experience the enjoyment and satisfaction of creating together. All LEGO® bricks and materials are provided. Admission is FREE, but advance booking is essential, as places are strictly limited. To book, please email Museum@GalwayCity.ie. This event is suitable for families with children aged between 7 and 13 years – please specify child’s age when booking. This event is part of Gaillimh Ah-Boo! – a city-wide celebration of Samhain supported through Fáilte Ireland’s Home of Halloween Destination Development Scheme.
Halloween Family Workshop: Spooky Halloween in LEGO®
When: October 28th at 2pm
Where: Galway City Museum
More information here
Join brick artist Jessica Farrell for a Halloween-themed LEGO® family workshop at Galway City Museum. Designed for families with children aged 7 to 13, this lively and collaborative workshop explores the stories and traditions of Halloween through the medium of LEGO® bricks. The guided activities present participants with fun challenges while developing imagination, communication, and teamwork. Each family group (or ‘team’) may include up to four people, with a minimum of one adult and one child. This structure reflects the workshop’s core aim: to promote shared creativity and learning through building together. All LEGO® bricks and materials are provided. Admission is FREE, but advance booking is essential, as places are strictly limited. To book, please email Museum@GalwayCity.ie. This event is suitable for families with children aged between 7 and 13 years – please specify child’s age when booking. This event is part of Gaillimh Ah-Boo! – a city-wide celebration of Samhain supported through Fáilte Ireland’s Home of Halloween Destination Development Scheme.
Halloween Family Workshop: Spooky Stories & Art
When: October 29th at 11am
Where: Galway City Museum
More information here
Halloween was traditionally regarded as the night when the boundaries between this world and the Otherworld grew thin – a night of fairies, ghosts and the dead. Join storyteller Rab Fulton as he shares a suitably spooky tale. Afterwards, inspired by the story, create your own illustration of a character or scene with artist and art educator Vicky Smith. All materials provided. Admission is FREE, but advance booking is essential, as places are strictly limited. To book, please email Museum@GalwayCity.ie. This event is suitable for children aged 8– 12 – please specify child’s age when booking. This event is part of Gaillimh Ah-Boo! – a city-wide celebration of Samhain supported through Fáilte Ireland’s Home of Halloween Destination Development Scheme.
Halloween Family Storytelling: Spooky Samhain Tales
When: October 29th at 1.30pm & 2.15pm and October 30th at 1.30pm & 2.15pm
Where: Galway City Museum
More information here
Samhain marked the beginning of winter, when the long, dark evenings by the fireside lent themselves to storytelling. Join storyteller and author Rab Fulton for some spooky tales inspired by this ancient time of year. Admission is FREE, but early booking is advised as places are limited. For bookings, please email Museum@GalwayCity.ie or call (091) 532460. This event is suitable for families. This event is part of Gaillimh Ah-Boo! – a city-wide celebration of Samhain supported through Fáilte Ireland’s Home of Halloween Destination Development Scheme.
Halloween Family Workshop: Traditional Halloween Masks
When: October 30th at 11am
Where: Galway City Museum
More information here
Halloween was traditionally regarded as the night when the boundaries between this world and the Otherworld grew thin – a night where fairies, ghosts and the dead roamed about freely. In the past, the fear of encountering an otherworldly being led people, mostly adults, to disguise themselves for protection. These ‘guisers’ darkened their faces with soot or wore homemade masks and costumes, and changed their voices to conceal their true identity. Join Brendan McGowan, Museum Education Officer, as he explores the Halloween tradition of ‘guising’. Afterwards, create your own traditional Halloween mask from recycled materials with artist and art educator Vicky Smith. All materials are provided, but feel free to bring along your own scraps of fabric or other suitable materials. Admission is FREE, but early booking is advised as places are limited. For bookings, please email Museum@GalwayCity.ie or call (091) 532460. This event is suitable for children aged 8–12. Please specify child’s age when booking. This event is part of Gaillimh Ah-Boo! – a city-wide celebration of Samhain supported through Fáilte Ireland’s Home of Halloween Destination Development Scheme.
Family: Silent Saturday
When: October 31st, 10am-12pm
Where: Galway City Museum
More information here
Silent Saturdays are sensory-friendly mornings at Galway City Museum, designed to offer a calmer and more comfortable visit for neurodivergent visitors, people with sensory differences, and anyone who would benefit from a quieter environment. These sessions take place on the last Saturday of each month. They run from 10am to 12pm. During this time, sound levels throughout the building are reduced or turned off where possible, large groups visits are discouraged, and the Education Room on Level 2 is available as a designated Quiet Space.
Talk & Taste Event: Traditional Halloween Fare
When: October 31st at 2pm
Where: Galway City Museum
More information here
Traditionally, Halloween was a time of feasting, and the occasion was marked with special foods and treats in honour of the night. Colcannon, boxty, apple cake, blackberry pies, and pudding all formed part of the fare. Of all the foods traditionally eaten at Halloween, the brack (bairín breac or barmbrack), or fruit loaf, remains perhaps the most familiar. In Halloweens past, it might contain not only a ring, but also a small silver coin, a button, a thimble, a chip of wood and a rag, each one foretelling the finder’s future. Join culinary historian Anna O’Donnell as she discusses traditional Halloween fare, delves into the customs associated with the brack, and demonstrates how to make one. Afterwards, sample a freshly-made traditional brack. Admission is FREE, but early booking is advised as places are limited. For bookings, please email Museum@GalwayCity.ie or call (091) 532460. This event is suitable for all ages. This event is part of Gaillimh Ah-Boo! – a city-wide celebration of Samhain supported through Fáilte Ireland’s Home of Halloween Destination Development Scheme.
Talk: The Murder of Michael Walsh, 1920 with Brendan McGowan
When: November 3rd, at 10.45am
Where: Westside Resource Centre
More information here
As part of its outreach programme, Galway City Museum is hosting a series of educational talks at Westside Resource Centre, Seamus Quirke Road, on the first Tuesday of each month from November 2026 to March 2027. Developed in response to the interests of the local community, the programme explores different aspects of Galway’s rich history and heritage, from medieval pilgrimage and historic buildings to murder, mystery and the story of Westside itself. In October 1920, Michael Walsh, popular owner of the Old Malt on High Street and a Sinn Féin member of the Galway Urban District Council, was taken from his place of business and murdered on the Long Walk. Join Brendan McGowan, Education Officer at Galway City Museum, as he tells Walsh’s story through the objects and photographs, including new details that have recently come to light.
Book Signing: The World of Oliver Jeffers Tour - SOLD OUT
When: November 8th, at 12pm
Where: Kennys Bookshop
More information here
Come and meet award-winning author and artist, Oliver Jeffers at Kennys for a book signing of his books, which will include his brand new children’s book A Day Off School and the new paperback edition of There’s a Ghost in This House. A free art print will be gifted with either of those two books bought on the day! Copies of A Day Off School and There’s a Ghost in This House will be available to buy at Kennys Bookshop on the day, along with many of his other books! If you require multiple tickets please ensure you book as a group so that each individual is registered and assigned a ticket. All are welcome!
Dips for Health
When: November 13th, at 12.30pm
Where: Ladies Beach Salthill
More information here
Looking to boost your mood, meet new people, and feel more connected? Connect with Yourself & Others and Join Dips for Health! Come along for a free sociable sea dip between 12.30pm and 1.30pm. No pressure, just connection, community, and the sea. Refreshments provided!
Talk: Medieval Pilgrims from Galway to Santiago de Compostela
When: December 1st, at 10.45am
Where: Westside Resource Centre
More information here
As part of its outreach programme, Galway City Museum is hosting a series of educational talks at Westside Resource Centre, Seamus Quirke Road, on the first Tuesday of each month from November 2026 to March 2027. Developed in response to the interests of the local community, the programme explores different aspects of Galway’s rich history and heritage, from medieval pilgrimage and historic buildings to murder, mystery and the story of Westside itself. One of the major pilgrimages of the medieval Christian world, the Camino de Santiago (the Way of St James) is a network of routeways that lead to the shrine of St James the Apostle in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwest Spain. Join Dr Bernadette Cunningham, author of Medieval Irish Pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela (2018), as she shares the story of Galway’s Margaret Athy and other pilgrims from the West.
Talk: The Reliquary of St Ursula with Eóin Ó Néill
When: January 5th, at 10.45am
Where: Westside Resource Centre
More information here
As part of its outreach programme, Galway City Museum is hosting a series of educational talks at Westside Resource Centre, Seamus Quirke Road, on the first Tuesday of each month from November 2026 to March 2027. Developed in response to the interests of the local community, the programme explores different aspects of Galway’s rich history and heritage, from medieval pilgrimage and historic buildings to murder, mystery and the story of Westside itself. The reliquary was made by Galway silversmith Richard Joyce – of Claddagh Ring fame – in 1723 to hold the reputed remains of St Ursula, a fourth-century British princess who, according to tradition, was martyred along with 11,000 female companions by the Huns while on a pilgrimage to Rome. Join Eóin Ó Néill, Collections Officer at Galway City Museum, as he shares the fascinating story of the reliquary and reveals what recent scientific research has uncovered about its contents.
Talk: Some Historic Buildings in Galway with Michael Scott
When: February 2nd, at 10.45am
Where: Westside Resource Centre
More information here
As part of its outreach programme, Galway City Museum is hosting a series of educational talks at Westside Resource Centre, Seamus Quirke Road, on the first Tuesday of each month from November 2026 to March 2027. Developed in response to the interests of the local community, the programme explores different aspects of Galway’s rich history and heritage, from medieval pilgrimage and historic buildings to murder, mystery and the story of Westside itself. Galway, a modern city built on a medieval core, has many historic buildings and streets, not least Dominick Street Lower, one of Galway’s first suburbs. Join Michael Scott, Architectural Conservation Officer with Galway City Council, as he highlights the history of Dominick Street Lower and in particular No.45 and No.47, two of the finest examples of Georgian Galway.
Talk: Westside through History with William Henry
When: March 2nd, at 10.45am
Where: Westside Resource Centre
More information here
As part of its outreach programme, Galway City Museum is hosting a series of educational talks at Westside Resource Centre, Seamus Quirke Road, on the first Tuesday of each month from November 2026 to March 2027. Developed in response to the interests of the local community, the programme explores different aspects of Galway’s rich history and heritage, from medieval pilgrimage and historic buildings to murder, mystery and the story of Westside itself. Join local historian and author William Henry as he shares the stories of some of the notable people and places of Galway’s Westside, including Rahoon, Shantalla, Newcastle, and Dangan. Among other things, he will discuss the so-called Sliding Rock where Daniel O’Connell held a ‘monster meeting’ in June 1843.
Feature photo by Chaosheng Zhang
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