Galway is getting into the spirit of the season as Blas na Samhna – A Taste of November returns for 2026, bringing food, folklore and autumnal flavours to venues across the city and county. Discover all about it here...
Presented by Blas na Gaillimhe – A Taste of Galway, the celebration brings together Galway’s restaurants, cafés, chefs and food producers for a very exciting programme of events, beginning with Halloween activity on 28th October and running until the end of November.
This year, a collaboration with Gaillimh Ah-Boo! brings a distinctly Samhain flavour to the programme. As autumn gives way to winter and the evenings draw in, visitors and locals can discover atmospheric dining experiences, seasonal tastings, food customs and imaginative events inspired by the traditions and stories of this time of year.
The events begin at Cava Bodega on 28th October with Samhain at Cava / Todos los Santos, a Spanish-Irish feast featuring squid-ink boxty with Aran Island crab, colcannon with confit egg yolk and pancetta, and torrijas de barmbrack with rum and raisin ice cream to finish.
Galway Food Tours will lead candlelit mystery food trails through the city’s cobbled streets on 30th and 31st October.
On Halloween morning, Margaret Leahy of Fable Tours heads into Barna Woods for Little Wild Harvesters: A-boo-tiful Halloween Woodland Adventure, a family wild food walk, returning in the afternoon for Wild Harvest – Tales and Tastes from the Boo-tiful Autumn Woods. Halloween evening brings Spirits of Samhain at Micil Distillery, where storyteller Rab Fulton shares tales of old Connemara and illicit poitín over a Samhain spirit serve, while Tom Sheridan’s will host their annual Haunted House Party in Knocknacarra.
above: Margaret Leahy
November’s programme begins on 2nd November with Between Two Worlds: A Samhain Wine Tasting & Storytelling at Daróg Wine Bar, where Zsolt Lukács, named the Michelin Guide’s Best Sommelier in Great Britain & Ireland 2025, pours five wines with a cheese board while Rab Fulton tells tales of Samhain and the Otherworld.
On 5th November, Kombu Ramen & Bao Bar serves an Irish–Japanese Halloween menu inspired by Japanese ghosts and spirits, with black pudding gyoza, pumpkin bao, squid-ink ramen and barmbrack taiyaki to finish. On 8th November, Ivonka Kwiek of Sage and Lovage hosts Potions, Elixirs & Autumn Foraging: Be Sage, Make Lovage at Aniar, a hands-on fermentation and wild food workshop where guests bottle their own elixirs to take home.
Those looking for something sweet can enjoy a Cosy Season Hot Chocolate Tasting Experience with Grá Chocolates at Korner Café in the Latin Quarter on 10th November, while on 13th November Alma Restaurant hosts Magusto: Portuguese Food & Stories, bringing Portugal’s ancient autumn festival of chestnuts, new wine and fire to Galway through food, music and stories.
above: Daróg Wine Bar
Throughout November, Aniar’s Kids Eat Free returns, with children aged seven to fifteen enjoying the 12-course Young Diners’ Tasting Menu free when dining with an adult. The seasonal celebrations continue on 19th November with a Cosy Night of Winter Delights at Tom Sheridan’s, where Head Chef Danny serves a four-course Winter Warmer menu, each course paired with wine from J&C Kenny Wine & Spirits.
Late November, 22nd, sees a Sensory Tasting and Herbal Craft by candlelight hosted at Brigit’s Garden in Rosscahill, where chef Aitor Escudero leads a tasting of the garden’s autumn harvest and Ivonka Kwiek guides guests in blending their own herbal salt. The same day, Jp McMahon presents Breaking Bread at Aniar, a participatory performance around a long communal table laden with Irish breads and locally churned butter, where strangers break bread together and share their own food stories.
Jp McMahon, founding member of Blas na Gaillimhe and Galway restaurant owner, said: “Blas na Samhna is about bringing people together around the flavours and stories of the season. Galway has such a creative food community, and this programme gives people a chance to experience that creativity first-hand. Our collaboration with Gaillimh Ah-Boo! adds another dimension, connecting food with the atmosphere and traditions of Samhain. I’d like to take this opportunity to thanks Galway City Council for its support in making the festival happen.”
With feasts, tastings, woodland walks and storytelling for families, food lovers and night owls alike, Blas na Samhna invites people to embrace the darker half of the year through Galway’s food, folklore and community. Blas Na Samhna is supported by Galway City Council, Gaillimh Ah-Boo! and Fáilte Ireland’s Home of Halloween programme.
For the full list of events and to book tickets, visit atasteofgalway.com/events. For updates and behind-the-scenes content, follow @blasnagaillimhe on social media.
Main image from Tom Sheridan's.
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