Bram Stoker Festival

From Friday 31 October to Monday 3 November, the veil lifts for four days and nights of deadly adventures in Dublin. From a spectacular Hallowe’en Weekend Macnas parade to haunted screenings to late-night cabaret to candlelit choirs, Dublin City Council Bram Stoker Festival 2025 promises an intoxicating mix of spectacle, sound and story in venues and public spaces all over the city.

Macnas Parade

On Sunday 2 November, world-renowned spectacle makers Macnas return to Dublin’s streets on an entirely new route, with another magical and unforgettable parade: An Treun: The Summoning of the Lost, a brand-new procession weaving through the North East Inner City passing elegant Georgian facades as dusk descends on Hallowe’en Weekend.

Highlights

A major highlight of the programme is the screening of Kwaidan, Lafcadio Hearn’s iconic collection of ghost stories adapted for the screen by director Masaki Kobayashi, accompanied by a newly commissioned live musical score composed and performed by Matthew Nolan and Seán Mac Erlaine, with Japanese artist and musician Tomoko Sauvage.

Following the sold-out successes of Dracula: A Journey into Darkness and Dracula: Lucy’s Passion, director Joan Sheehy’s Dracula: The Hunt brings to life the novel’s climactic final ten chapters in a rehearsed staged reading at the Abbey Theatre.

In Songs of the Spirits: East Meets West, sacred choral traditions intertwine as Schola Hyberniae, Ireland’s acclaimed early music ensemble, explores ancient music honouring the dead from both Ireland and Japan. Gregorian chant, rare Irish manuscript music and Japanese ritual melodies blend in a transcendent concert at St Ann’s Church.

Theatre & Comedy

For the brave and the bold, an evening of grisly storytelling awaits at Blind Fear, devised and performed by artists with sight loss. From a cursed rural village willing to do anything to win the county hurling final, to a mysterious antique shop where a weary health worker’s retail therapy becomes a nightmare; these chilling tales are not for the faint of heart. 

Music

This year’s night-time strand, Night Bites, includes a feast of after dark experiences blending music, performance, film, poetry and cabaret. SCANRA: Samhain at The Cellar returns with an evening of myth, music and mayhem led by a powerhouse line-up.

Free Family Fun

The city’s gothic fun park, Stokerland, returns to St. Patrick’s Park with two full days of free family entertainment beneath the shadow of the cathedral. Expect a monstrous mix of circus, street theatre, music and mayhem with walkabout acts, magic shows, fortune tellers, storytelling, art workshops and curious characters at every turn.

Walking Tours

Those who prefer their thrills on foot can join one of four specially curated walking tours taking place across the city.

For more information check out bramstokerfestival.com