Visitors flock to mid-Louth for Ardee’s first Ferdia Festival

More than 500 visitors flocked to Ardee on Saturday 1 November, for the mid-Louth town's inaugural Ferdia Festival—a vibrant celebration of arts, music, and Halloween-themed creativity. The one-day event transformed venues across the town, including Hatch’s Castle, St. Mary’s Church, and the Dee Hub, into hubs of artistic energy and community spirit.

Festival highlights included the Witches’ Coven, a thrilling Zombie Flash Mob, live music from Glas Quartet, a play by Quintessence Theatre, the Freaky Trail, circus and street performances, and hands-on art workshops. In total, 21 professional artists and numerous volunteers—including young people from the Dee Hub—helped deliver an unforgettable experience.

Approximately 580 people participated in events throughout the day. Local schools joined in with an Art Competition, producing prize-winning works, while Ardee businesses embraced the Halloween theme with creative shop window displays.

A dozen venues and outdoor spaces supported the festival, alongside local groups including Dee Hub, Ardee Library, Ardee Historical Society, Hatch’s Castle, Ardee NEST, and Ardee Traders Association. The voluntary festival committee dedicated months of planning and effort to make the event a resounding success.

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Commenting on the success of the festival Cllr Dolores Minogue, Cathaoirleach of Ardee Municipal District, said: “I’m thrilled with how our very first Ardee Ferdia Festival went. The Halloween theme brought such a wonderful buzz to the town from the creative decorations and costumes to the brilliant events and community spirit, it showcased the heart of Ardee.

"A huge thank you to Louth County Council Arts Office and our incredible festival committee who gave their time, ideas, and energy over many months to make this happen. Their dedication and teamwork were second to none, and the success of this festival is a real credit to them all.

_{Below: Historical Walk, St Mary's Church}

"I also want to thank the volunteers, local businesses, sponsors, and everyone in the community who came out to support and celebrate with us. The first Ardee Ferdia Festival has set the bar high, and I couldn’t be prouder of what we achieved together. Roll on next year!”

Moya Hodgers, Arts Officer with Louth County Council, added: “Ferdia Festival has delivered much more than we ever anticipated when we started work on this 12 months ago. Our aim was to deliver a festival that the people of Ardee would like to get involved in, and we could not have asked for a better response.

"On behalf of the Arts Office and the Council, I would like to extend our thanks to the committee for all their time and effort into making Ferdia Festival a success.

"Thanks also to the business community and the families of Ardee who embraced it by coming out and supporting us. The success of any festival is dependent on its local environment and Ardee showed up to support Ferdia Festival.”

Following the success of the inaugural Ferdia Festival the committee, in partnership with Louth County Council Arts Office, intend to make Ferdia Festival a key annual arts event for Ardee.