From Friday 31 October to Monday 3 November, Dublin hosts the Bram Stoker Festival, a four-day celebration of gothic arts and culture inspired by the legacy of the city’s most famous author. The festival transforms the city into a theatrical landscape filled with parades, performances, screenings, music, storytelling and family-friendly activities. Events take place in public spaces and venues across Dublin.

Programme Highlights:

The Macnas Parade, titled An Treun: The Summoning of the Lost, takes place on Sunday 2 November. This new spectacle weaves through the North East Inner City, combining giant puppetry, live music and immersive storytelling. Directed by Louise Lowe and designed by Owen Boss of ANU Productions, the parade draws inspiration from Bram Stoker’s lost tale Gibbet Hill. For the first time, Macnas collaborates with the North East Inner City Initiative to train 16 young community members to perform in both Galway and Dublin.

The festival presents a screening of Kwaidan, Lafcadio Hearn’s ghost story collection adapted by Masaki Kobayashi. The film features a live score and English-language Benshi narration, blending Irish and Japanese traditions. This event premieres in Osaka as part of Ireland’s programme at World Expo 2025.

At the Abbey Theatre, Dracula: The Hunt stages the final chapters of Stoker’s novel with a cast of acclaimed Irish actors. Songs of the Spirits: East Meets West offers a choral concert at St Ann’s Church, merging Gregorian chant, Irish manuscript music and Japanese ritual melodies.

Theatre and comedy events include Blind Fear, an immersive audio performance devised by artists with sight loss, and Pointy Tales of Fangs and Blood, a comedic gothic horror show by Will Seaward. The Night Bites strand features cabaret, poetry, music and film, including SCANRA: Samhain at The Cellar, Poetry Brothel: Monto by Lamplight and a live-scored screening of Vampyr at Light House Cinema.

Families enjoy Stokerland at St Patrick’s Park, a gothic funfair with circus acts, street theatre, workshops and storytelling. Additional activities include mask-making at the National Museum of Ireland and Dracula’s Disco at the Mansion House. Spooky Stories at Marsh’s Library offers eerie literary experiences in a historic setting.

Spoken word events include Seanchoíche: Stories From The Shadows, An Evening of Ancient Legends at Merrion Square and Finding Gibbet Hill: A Remarkable Discovery at the National Library. The Bram Stoker Paper Competition Final showcases new writing inspired by Stoker at Trinity College.

Walking tours explore Dublin’s gothic heritage, including Mount Jerome Cemetery, haunted alleyways and sites linked to Stoker’s life. The National Museum of Ireland presents Life, Disease and Death in Collins Barracks, examining the darker aspects of Dublin’s history.

Find event details and see the full programme at BramStokerFestival.com