What are the opening hours?

Monday 9:30am - 5pm Tuesday 9:30am - 5pm Wednesday 9:30am - 5pm Thursday 9:30am - 5pm Friday 9:30am - 5pm Saturday 9:30am - 5pm

Wexford Festival Opera

Home
Ireland
Wexford
Wexford Festival Opera

Directions Website Contact the organisation

Ireland’s internationally renowned Wexford Festival Opera. 75th Festival: 15 - 31 October 2026. Rare and remarkable operas await!

Awarded 'Best Festival' Award in the 2017 International Opera Awards

ABOUT US

A little south of Dublin, along the Irish east coast, you’ll find Wexford – home of the National Opera House and known internationally as the home of Wexford Festival Opera. The festival was founded by an ambitious group of local enthusiasts in 1951 and has since become a cultural crowning-jewel for locals. Year after year, they have dedicated their time and talent to ensure that Wexford Festival Opera has become a leader of both national and international opera, praised by critics the world over. A location like no other, Wexford town is famous for its warm welcome and picturesque setting. During festival time, the streets, pubs and restaurants come alive with an excitement that draws opera lovers back again and again. Since its birth, the festival has stood for a number of things – the highest quality productions, striking a balance between tradition and innovation, as well as being a champion of often-overlooked operatic gems. This trifecta has struck a chord worldwide. More recently we saw media publications from ten separate countries, including mentions in all of the key UK broadsheets. The Wall Street Journal referred to us as ‘Ireland’s Cultural Jewel’ and Frommer’s Guide listed us as one of the top 3 Opera destinations in the entire world. These validations, along with our warm welcome, may help explain why over 40% of our patrons come from abroad. We have a history and heritage to be proud of and we are committed to maintaining the values that have underpinned our success so far. But though we look to the past for guidance, we also keep one eye on the future. We invite you to share in our ambition and discover the hidden gem that is Wexford Festival Opera. The Wexford Festival Trust
Registered Office: The National Opera House, High St, Wexford, Y35 FEP3, Ireland. Registered in Ireland No: 73941 VAT Reg. No: IE4571810K Charity No: CHY6132

01/11/2026

✨That’s a wrap! Our 75th Anniversary Festival came to a glorious close last night, wrapping up 17 incredible days and nights of sold-out performances. Heartfelt thanks to everyone who joined us and made it so special.

It's been an absolute joy to celebrate 75 years alongside audiences from Wexford, across Ireland, and more than 30 countries around the world. What a truly marvellous milestone!

Whether you came for one show or the full line-up, thank you for making this historic anniversary so memorable. We can’t wait to welcome you back next year.

Deepest thanks to our amazing performers, creative teams, crew, staff, and volunteers whose tireless work behind the scenes made it all happen. To our funders, donors, sponsors and friends: your vital support and shared passion made our 75th Anniversary an extraordinary triumph. Thank you!

THE EITHNE HEALY MEMORIAL AWARD

Last night also saw Hannah O'Brien Soprano receive the inaugural Eithne Healy Memorial Award, which recognises an artist who exemplifies excellence, collegiality, and kindness.

The Award honours one of the Festival’s most cherished supporters, Eithne Healy. Together, Eithne and her husband Liam embodied the integrity, resilience and commitment that have defined the Festival for 75 years. Their generosity and devotion had a profound impact on the Festival and helped make the dream of the National Opera House a reality.

Warmest congratulations to Hannah on this richly deserved honour. A graduate of The Wexford Factory (our young artists programme), this year Hannah gave a wonderful performance on the main stage in the role of Dhia in Mascagni's Iris.

Thank you again for joining us in 2026. We hope to see you next year for our 76th Festival from 14-30th October, 2027.

📸 Pádraig Grant

31/10/2026

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Hadrill’s impeccable marriage of singing, staging and superb performances ensuring The Rose of Castile is an operatic and theatrical delight." — The Arts Review

What a spectacular finish for The Rose of Castile! 🌹

Today marked the final performance of our pocket opera production, and we couldn’t have asked for a better conclusion, our entire run was completely SOLD OUT! 🎟️🎉

A massive, heartfelt Bravi to the extraordinary cast, creative team, and crew who brought this vision to life:

🎶 The Cast:

Queen Elvira of Leon: Eleri Gwilym
Donna Carmen: Erin Fflur
Beatrix: Myrna Tennant
Manuel: Eamonn Walsh
Don Sallust: Jonah Halton
Don Florio: Conor Cooper
Don Pedro: Rory Musgrave
Narrator: Peter McCamley

🎭 Creative Team:
Music Director: Rebecca Warren
Stage Director: Heather Hadrill
Set & Costume Designer: Lisa Krügel
Lighting Designer: Cian Redmond

Special thanks to our Pocket Opera Sponsor, Applegreen for their support in growing new audiences, championing emerging talent, and making opera more accessible to all.

📸 Pádraig Grant

31/10/2026

Yesterday, the curtain came down on our sold-out Pocket Opera production of Much Ado About Nothing by Irish composer Charles Villiers Stanford.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for this unforgettable run at this year’s Festival, and huge congratulations to our wonderful cast, crew, and creative team for bringing this faithful adaptation of Shakespeare’s great romantic comedy so brilliantly to life.

Special thanks to our Pocket Opera Sponsor, Applegreen for their support in growing new audiences, championing emerging talent, and making opera more accessible to all.

📸 Pádraig Grant

CAST
Beatrice - Charlotte Baker
Benedick - Ross Cu***ng
Hero - Victoria Harley
Claudio - Joshua Baxter
Don Pedro - Alexander Semple
Don John - Meilir Jones
Leonato - Maximilian Catalano
Dogberry / Friar - Wonsick Oh
Borrachio - Euan McDonald
Seacole - Rhys Meilyr

CREATIVE TEAM & CREW
Music Director - Christopher Knopp
Stage Director - Aoife Spillane-Hinks
Set & Costume - Designer Lisa Krügel
Lighting Designer - Cian Redmond
Stage Manager - Georgia Evans

31/10/2026

Day 17 - Today is the last day of Wexford Festival Opera 2026 and here is what's on:

11am - The Rose of Castile | Jerome Hynes Theatre | SOLD OUT
12pm - Pop-up | T Morris Bar Wexford | FREE
1pm - Lunchtime Recital | O'Reilly Theatre
5pm - Iris | O'Reilly Theatre

Thank you to everyone who celebrated our 75th Anniversary with us!

30/10/2026

‘It was always a role I wanted to do so I said ‘Yes, now or never’. As our production of Prokofiev’s The Gambler reaches its final performance tonight, we’re celebrating 70-year-old Clarry Bartha and her wonderful portrayal of Babulenka.

In this lovely conversation with Artistic Director, Rosetta Cucchi, Clarry shares what it means to perform as a more mature singer and how sharing the stage with young talent ‘makes her so happy’.

Rosetta thanked Clarry for her unforgettable performance and for showing the next generation of singers that a long, thriving career in opera is truly possible.

Watch the full interview with Clarry here
https://youtu.be/kxM0U_IC06o

Huge congratulations to the entire cast, crew and creative team on a magnificent run. We will miss you all.

🎥 Gabriel Mueller

30/10/2026

Last Thursday, 22 October, was the EPA Ireland Green Night, where we invited everyone attending the opera to make sustainable fashion choices.
We are thrilled to announce the winner of our EPA Green Night competition: Siobhan Byron-Smith! 💚✨

Siobhan won for her gorgeous green velvet operatic-style cape, designed in Wexford and worn on her wedding day in December 2000.

The cape has a deep connection to the Wexford Festival Opera. Siobhan’s late father, Gus Smith, was the music and opera critic for the Sunday Independent and a long-time chronicler of the festival. Siobhan also wore the same cape to an opera performance in 2008 in the newly refurbished National Opera House.

By bringing it back to the theater, Siobhan perfectly proved our point: the most sustainable fashion choices are the ones stitched with history, memory, and timeless style.

📸: Siobhan-Byron Smith (front centre), winner of the EPA & Wexford Festival Opera Green Night sustainable fashion award 2026. From left: Hannah Nolan, Aisling Kehoe from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Siobhan Byron-Smith, Brendan Phelan EPA, Suzanne Nance from Wexford Festival Opera and Sinead Ryan EPA pictured celebrating the EPA Green Night on Thursday 22 October at a performance of The Gambler as part of the 75th Wexford Festival Opera.

Green Night encourages opera goers to make sustainable fashion choices when choosing their outfits or to add touches of green in celebration of this now long running tradition in the Festival calendar. Photo: Mary Browne

30/10/2026

Friday, 30 October - Day 16 of Wexford Festival Opera and here is what's on:

11am - Much Ado About Nothing | Jerome Hynes Theatre | SOLD OUT
12pm - Pop-up | Green Acres Wexford | FREE
1pm - Lunchtime Recital | O'Reilly Theatre
4.30pm - Still, life... | Grain Store | SOLD OUT
7.30pm - The Gambler | O'Reilly Theatre
11pm - The Next 75 | Green Acres Wexford

One more day to go!
The Festival ends tomorrow, Saturday, Oct 31 October!
Book your tickets at wexfordopera.com. 🎭

📸: Pádraig Grant

29/10/2026

Don't miss the final two lunchtime recitals of our 75th Anniversary Festival! 🎶

⭐ Friday (Tomorrow): Soprano Leyla Gu, who is singing the title role in Iris.
⭐ Saturday: Yuchen Pan, following his performance as Osaka on the 20th October.

📍 The National Opera House
🕐 1:00 PM
🎟️ €25 + facility fee

Join us to celebrate the end of this remarkable festival!
Book your tickets 👉 wexfordopera.com

29/10/2026

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The reviews are in for 'Still, life...' our community opera - world premiere by Ailís Ní Ríain!

Huge congratulations to everyone involved: all the team, our Wexford Factory singers, and the amazing community performers who embraced this project so brilliantly.

Here is what the critics have to say:

'A powerful piece whose steady build-up was extraordinary’
★★★★★ Opera Now

'The writing, both text and music, is of the highest quality and the experience, as performed in the Grain Store at Stonebridge, is truly immersive, involving and provocative of thought'
Edinburgh Music Review

Production sponsored by Energia Group

Venue partner Talbot Collection

Supported by the Laidlaw Opera Trust and EU Presidency Culture Peogramme

📸: Pádraig Grant

29/10/2026

Thursday, 29 October - Day 15 of Wexford Festival Opera and here is what's on:

9am - Backstage & Breakfast Tour | National Opera House
11am - The First Festival | O'Reilly Theatre
12pm - Pop-up | Charles Pierce Menswear | FREE
1pm - Lunchtime Recital | St Iberius | SOLD OUT
3pm - The Rose of Castile | Jerome Hynes Theatre | SOLD OUT
7.30pm - L'equivoco stravagante | O'Reilly Theatre | SOLD OUT
11pm - The Next 75 | Green Acres Wexford

The Festival ends this Saturday, Oct 31 October! Book your tickets at wexfordopera.com. 🎭

📸: Pádraig Grant

Address

National Opera House, High Street
Wexford
Y35FEP3

Opening Hours

Monday	9:30am - 5pm
Tuesday	9:30am - 5pm
Wednesday	9:30am - 5pm
Thursday	9:30am - 5pm
Friday	9:30am - 5pm
Saturday	9:30am - 5pm

Website

http://www.wexfordopera.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Wexford Festival Opera posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.