The Outing Festival was a totally new concept in 2012, created by the new Queen of matchmaking, Eddie McGuinness. The festival is an addition to the popular and long-running Traditional Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival in Lisdoonvarna, which has been around for more than 170 years. The Outing Festival has become the offshoot of the traditional matchmaking festival and has its own stand-alone weekend. In 2019, after 7 years in Lisdoonvarna, The Outing Festival moved to a new location at The Inn at Dromoland, Co.Clare, Ireland.
Our New Location 2026: The Outing Winter Pride Festival, Treacys West County Hotel, Ennis, Co. Clare,
The Outing Winter Pride Festival will move to a new date in the LGBTQ+ calendar, to Love weekend “Valentines Weekend 13th-15th February 2026. This is the LGBTQ+ music festival to be at since we take over the new hotels Our New Location: The Outing Winter Pride Festival, Treacys West County Hotel, Ennis, Co. Clare, bars, and venues for the 3-day festival that weekend In 2020, The Outing Winter Pride Festival, World’s Only Music, Matchmaking & Queer Arts Festival became an LGBTQ+ Not-for-Profit organisation with a full board of queer alternative artists, professionals, and volunteers, who will help bring to life for the 10th year a bigger, better festival with more entertainment and Queer Art. Everyone is welcome! The festival calls singles, couples, and groups of friends – straight or gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and their friends – to The Outing Festival LGBTQ+ Matchmaking, Music & Queer Arts Festival for this fun-filled weekend. There’s no restriction (other than being over 18 years of age) on this inclusive and entertaining twist on an old tradition. And of course, there are matchmaking, blind dates, and speed-dating aspects for singles, too. We’ve put together a line-up of acts and entertainment that this festival in the Hidden Hearts Lands of Co. Clare, Ireland, you won’t soon forget, and we’d be delighted to share them with you and your friends, whoever you are! The Outing Winter Pride Festival is an LGBT+ Festival (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and trans+ community festival). The Outing Festival CLG. is a Not-For-Profit organisation, professional and volunteer-led collective, working to promote the positive visibility of LGBTQ+ people and their community in the west of Ireland—a not-for-profit festival with Pride at its heart. The Outing Festival is a Queer Matchmaking, Music & Arts Pride Festival. The Outing Festival mission is to celebrate the diverse culture of the LGBT+ community, by providing Ireland and the west of Ireland community with various activities and functions to promote and engage in matchmaking, queer arts, music, sports, educational, civic, and cultural activities in order to enrich the lives of LGBTQ+ people and the community as a whole and to work together to achieve a common goal.
We work with both LGBT+ and non-LGBT+ organisations from Ireland and beyond to create a weekend that brings the entire community together in a fun and engaging ways that help enrich their lives. Provide a space of safety for individuals to celebrate their individuality and sameness.