The Mystic Festival of Smoke returns for Halloween 2022

Peuka, the festival that celebrates Ireland as the birthplace of Halloween, returns to Ireland’s ancient east from Monday 28th to Monday 31st October 2022.

Three days and four nights of the festival

Puka is an authentic and immersive otherworldly festival. Contemporary and strongly rooted in tradition, Púca will take place in the towns of Trim and Athboy in County Meath.

Featuring Irish artists and storytellers Senchai (Traditional Gaelic Storytellers) and the local community of Púca will present three days and four nights of contemporary performances in Ireland’s Ancient East.

In Irish and Celtic traditions, Samhain marks the end of the harvest season, when all crops are gathered and stored for the “new year”. It was a time of celebration that included bonfires, harvest feasts, music, plucking and storytelling. A familiar character in Irish Halloween lore, the pooka (pronounced poo-kuh) is a shapeshifter from Celtic folklore who comes to life during the Celtic New Year.

Four supernatural nights of Halloween music and entertainment will take place in the town of Trim and its beautiful castle grounds, including the ‘Arrival of the Spirits’ to officially kick off the festival on Saturday 29 October.

Five former provinces of Ireland united

Wards Hill, near Athboy, is an important prehistoric site and center of Halloween tradition. On Monday 31 October, ‘Coming of Samhain’ celebrations will take place at this main ceremonial compound, which was one of the first sites to host Samhain. It will be a spiritual and historical retelling of the original Halloween story, where the five ancient provinces of Ireland will be represented and symbolically united in flame.

While Samhain historically marks the end of the harvest season, the Puka festival highlights the abundance and quality of local produce in the Boyne Valley. Good chance to find out Bartender break Traditional, The Colcannon Or baked apples.