As many of you are looking forward to celebrating the next edition of Hidden Hearth Festival, it is with mixed emotions that we have an important announcement to make.
This year, we are shifting how we operate in a way that supports us all as a community - from us the organisers to yourselves, our extremely valued ticket holders, to our artists, contributors and performers. As a regenerative festival with sustainability at its heart (including not just our impact on our natural environment, but the impact on all who gather), we know that we have to redefine how we gather in a way that is truly aligned with our values and vision.
Such a restructure takes time, space and care to do in a way that is integral to our values, thus we have decided that there will be no Hidden Hearth this year. We are still feeling the grief of this reality, yet know deeply that a pause is what's best for us all. We know that this will come as a disappointment to all who have been, and potentially even more so to those who were hoping to come for the first time this year. We hold Hidden Hearth very dearly. With the support of many exceptional people, it has grown into something magical beyond words. It has touched many hearts and changed many lives. For that, we thank you!
We are taking this time between now and October 2026 to dream into what it truly means to gather in such pressing and challenging times, and how to solidify a sustainable and regenerative grassroots project with many strands of impact across our local communities and beyond. We will keep what has worked and be curious towards what has not. There is no road map for this in a world where the consumerist & capitalist ideologies seep into most things that we do - now more than ever into the festival world.
If you value gathering in sovereign spaces, run by independent & grassroots organisations who genuinely care about you, rather than just making a buck, it is more important now than ever to support small, independent festivals. If you wish to visit Féili Vegan at Lisnavagh House, 15th - 17th August, Wild and Well, happening on the 5th - 7th September in Sligo, and Fuinneamh, happening on the 13th - 15th of September in Dundalk are incredible festivals run by our friends and community who share strands of similar ethos, intention and integrity as Hidden Hearth. We encourage you to purchase tickets to these amazing events, and we hope to see some of you in one or all of these fields.
Please feel free to join our community on Instagram @hiddenhearthfestival so you can keep yourselves updated on Hidden Hearth October 2026 festival - it would definitely be a medicine to us who have had to make this decision in these times of refining and redefining our why, what and how.
Until next time,
The Hidden Hearth Team xx
