Plan your visit to Longford Lights 2025

All you need to know on what to expect, tickets, parking, accessibility and more

Press Release: Monday, 17 February 2025

Longford Lights 2025 returns to Longford Town from this Thursday, 20 February to Sunday, 23 February from 6.30pm to 9.30pm each evening, with thousands expected to attend Ireland’s largest community-based light and arts festival.

Within the main festival campus at Connolly Barracks, visitors will experience an illuminated journey and be entertained by larger-than-life art installations, many with interactive and performance elements. One such new spectacle performance piece is Metamorphosis, which will take place at 30-minute intervals on the square in front of Connolly Barracks.

Display boards will be dotted throughout the festival and share information on the artists and the installations with the viewer. This year’s festival will now also light up Bridge Street and Lower Main Street, and St John’s Hall will host Lúminaria, a family show by festival partners, Backstage Theatre.

Audiences will be entertained by 30 different art installations, giant puppets, fire dancers, opera singing, gigantic video projections and a brass ensemble. Alongside the vibrant and lively atmosphere, there will also be the calming and beautiful lantern installations that Longford Lights festivalgoers have come to know and love.

Longford Lights tickets into the main festival site at Connolly Barracks are available on LongfordLights.ie. Entry times are at 6.30pm, 7.30pm and 8.30pm. Once in, you can stay as long as you wish. When you arrive, you should present your tickets on your phone. One ticket required per person. Family tickets (two adults and two children) are €20, adult ticket €8, and children’s tickets are €4 each. Under 3s are free. Tickets to Lúminaria are available on Backstage.ie, with this show taking place on Friday, 21 February and Saturday, 22 February at 5:30pm and 8pm.

Traffic and Parking: Heavy traffic is anticipated throughout Longford Town, particularly on Battery Road, Church Street and Lower Main Street. On-street parking will be limited, and the public are asked to use off-street public car parks and plan to walk the short distance to Connolly Barracks. Some of the nearest parking options include Longford County Council car parks on Great Water Street and at Camlin Court, the Longford Town Centre car park and Geraldine Terrace car park next to it, Main Street car park and the St Mel’s Road car park.

Accessibility: Information on disabled car parking spaces and wheelchair facilities, are available on LongfordLights.ie under the Plan your Visit section. When you arrive, follow the directions of event stewards and Gardaí on site.

Longford Lights aims to be a sensory-friendly experience with ambient low-level soundscapes throughout. The Metamorphosis performance will be louder, however, this can easily be avoided at the venue. Please seek advice from one of our friendly stewards if help is required.

Food and Refreshments: Food will be on sale from vendors within the Connolly Barracks festival site. There are also restaurants and pubs serving food around Longford Town, many with special offers to coincide with the festival.

Be weather-ready: Please dress appropriately for seasonal February weather with good walking shoes and waterproofs, especially in the event of rain. The festival is predominantly outdoor and walking paths are mostly flat and suitable for buggies and wheelchairs.

Health and Safety: Please follow Longford Lights festival stewards’ instructions when inside the venue. As festival stewards will be identifiable by high-visibility clothing, we would appreciate it if attendees avoided wearing high-visibility clothing.

Longford Lights 2024 is led by Longford County Council and its Arts Office, in partnership with Mide Arts Group. It is supported by the Arts Council and Creative Ireland, as well as Longford Tourism and Longford Night Time Economy, both part of Longford County Council.

Looking forward to the event, Longford County Council Cathaoirleach Cllr Mark Casey said, “Longford Lights will, no doubt, bring many returning and new visitors into our county town from Thursday this week through to Sunday. It is great for the local area, local communities and local businesses. I am looking forward to the fantastic atmosphere around town. I encourage everyone to get their last-minute ticket and come along to see this spectacle.”

Longford County Council Chief Executive Paddy Mahon added, “It is great for the Council to be able to work with the local community, local artists and all other Longford Lights stakeholders to put on this excellent festival. It brings a lot of community pride and shows our talent and our hospitality as we welcome people to Longford Town.”

Longford Lights 2025 Artistic Director Caroline Conway spoke to the coming together of the local and artistic communities saying, “Longford Lights is different than other festivals in the way that the local community is the foundation of the whole project. Working together with both international and local artists, this year’s festival promises to be more interactive for audiences and we can’t wait for you to see it!”