January can be notoriously gloomy, but as we settle into 2025, the First Fortnight Festival returns to Ireland, combining art, culture, and conversation to shine a light on mental health and to help you through what feels like the longest month of the year.
Running from January 4th to 18th, this unique festival challenges mental health stigma by bringing people together through creativity and dialogue. It’s not just about watching and listening—it’s about connecting, learning, and laughing along the way.
Here’s a closer look at what’s happening at this year’s festival!
What’s Happening at the First Fortnight Festival 2025?
The lineup this year is packed with events that explore mental health in thoughtful, creative, and sometimes surprising ways. Whether you’re into music, theatre, visual art, or just good conversations, you’ll find something worth checking out. Here are some highlights:
1. Nollaig na mBan (Women’s Christmas)
Celebrated on January 6th, this event dives into women’s mental health. It’s a mix of workshops, talks, and performances honouring the tradition of Women’s Little Christmas while creating space for important conversations about self-care and support. This event will take place in Whelans, Dublin 2.
2. Musical Strings
Explore Light Painting in Wexford Town for a fun and creative light art photo painting experience! Participants of all ages are invited to these drop in workshops in FDYS to create their own unique light art pieces with the guidance of local photographer Louise Scally. This event runs from January 9th to 12th across multiple venues in Wexford.
Light painting involves using long exposure photography to capture movement from a light source, allowing participants to play with light and jump, write, or create symbols in the air. Each participant will receive digital photos of their creations via email.
The photographs will then be projected onto a wall in the town of Enniscorthy on 11th and 12th January, showcasing these images to uplift the community during the darker winter months. This event celebrates young people as artists, offering a playful, creative outlet, introducing them to photography and performance art, all while brightening Wexford’s winter experience.
3. Laughter’s the Best Medicine
Laughter is definitely the best medicine ….. and the cheapest! In a world that is getting far too serious for its own good, you’re invited to come along and have a fun evening to celebrate The First Fortnight Festival. There will be jokes; there will be sketches; there will be entertaining conversation, and there will even be a few prizes – on from January 9th at the An Grianán Theatre in Donegal.
4. Creative Arts Therapy Exhibition
This exhibition is an evocative response to the homelessness crisis in Ireland – through art you will delve into the mental health of support workers as they hold space for the people they accompany through difficult and sometimes chaotic situations. This impactful exhibition takes place at the Smock Alley Theatre in Dublin, featuring cement and plaster houses representing all those homeless in Ireland. Alongside the housing installation are artworks produced by support workers expressing their experience of the homeless sector.
5. Where’s Your head At
What do you do to mind your mental health? Where’s your head at? First Fortnight and Emily Quinn collaborate in this new Portrait Project. A collection of artists and individuals connected to First Fortnight and the wider arts community sat with Quinn for a portrait photoshoot and discussed what they do to support their mental health. The resulting exhibition of smiling faces and stories of how we mind our mental health is a reminder that joy can exist alongside the tough conversations, that we can share hope of better days ahead, and that community is one of our most powerful assets. This event takes place at The Hunt Museum in Limerick, from the 5th to 14th of January.
More to Discover
That’s not all—First Fortnight Festival has plenty more to offer, from mental health workshops and film screenings to community events and panel discussions. You can find the full schedule and venue details on the official First Fortnight website.
When and Where?
- Dates: January 4th – 18th, 2025
- Locations: Events are happening in venues across Ireland, with something for everyone no matter where you’re based.
Ticket Prices
Many events at the First Fortnight Festival are free, making it accessible to everyone. For ticketed events, prices vary depending on the activity. Check out the festival’s ticket page to see what’s available and snag your spot.
