About the festival:
Wainfest is an annual week-long, countywide arts and book festival dedicated to children.
The term "Wain" is a local affectionate word used when talking about a small child (wee one). And we think it's a great fit for our festival that caters just for them!
Since its inception in 1996 the festival has grown from strength to strength and is one of the highlights in the Donegal County Council's calendar of events. Wainfest plays a pivotal role for schools and home schoolers in the area allowing them to access the very best in children's performances.
It's not just during school hours either! Beginning and ending with families at heart we have organised 31 events across Donegal for you to take part as a family.
A grand total of 119 events have been organised countywide and we are delighted to bring you events every single day of the festival.
Come and celebrate our 21st year of bringing the very best in children's entertainment to Donegal in 2017. See for yourself what we're raving about by downloading our brochure.
What people say about Wainfest!
"Pupils and teachers had a ball. What a fun way of learning. Children were totally absorbed, brilliant organisation and time flew" Teachers response after the Digital Design Workshop.
“Events like this are a really great experience for children. Bringing books to life – lots more please and thank you for a lovely performance” Teacher attending a Wainfest performance.
“Very very good and very funny indeed” Childs response from an evaluation form after meeting author Gerard Whelan.
“How the kids could interact with the story telling. Brilliant” School attending a storytelling event.
“This was a fantastic morning. The children were fully engaged and the organisers were very friendly and helpful” Teacher attending an art based event.
“Very relevant to the History curriculum.” Teacher attending an Irish History Live 1916.
“Brilliant entertainment. Really pleased we stumbled upon it.” Holiday maker visiting Letterkenny attending Revolting Rhymes.
“Watching my son get hands on with a project and knowing that he was enjoying and learning” Parent attending Everyday Engineering workshop telling us about their highlight.
Who we are:
Organised by Donegal County Council's Cultural Services Division, Wainfest 2017 will celebrate 21 years of inspiring children.
The Cultural Services Division of Donegal County Council provides services to the public across three broad areas of Libraries, Arts and Heritage.
From within this Division the Library Service, Europe Direct Information Centre Donegal and Gaeltacht, County Museum and Regional Cultural Centre unite each year to put forward a programme of the very best in children's performance to inform, nurture and inspire those who will eventually grow up to be the movers and shakers across the country and indeed the world.
Donegal County Council believes that promoting and supporting arts, culture, heritage and language is good for our society, our economy and our national identity both at home and abroad. This has always been and always will be one of our enduring strengths. Our culture helps to create a deepened sense of place, citizenship and pride of place in all sections of our society. Wainfest is at the core of this and is one of the ways in which we reach out to our very youngest members.
Wainfest is an annual week-long, countywide arts and book festival dedicated to children.
The term "Wain" is a local affectionate word used when talking about a small child (wee one). And we think it's a great fit for our festival that caters just for them!
Since its inception in 1996 the festival has grown from strength to strength and is one of the highlights in the Donegal County Council's calendar of events. Wainfest plays a pivotal role for schools and home schoolers in the area allowing them to access the very best in children's performances.
It's not just during school hours either! Beginning and ending with families at heart we have organised 31 events across Donegal for you to take part as a family.
A grand total of 119 events have been organised countywide and we are delighted to bring you events every single day of the festival.
Come and celebrate our 21st year of bringing the very best in children's entertainment to Donegal in 2017. See for yourself what we're raving about by downloading our brochure.
What people say about Wainfest!
"Pupils and teachers had a ball. What a fun way of learning. Children were totally absorbed, brilliant organisation and time flew" Teachers response after the Digital Design Workshop.
“Events like this are a really great experience for children. Bringing books to life – lots more please and thank you for a lovely performance” Teacher attending a Wainfest performance.
“Very very good and very funny indeed” Childs response from an evaluation form after meeting author Gerard Whelan.
“How the kids could interact with the story telling. Brilliant” School attending a storytelling event.
“This was a fantastic morning. The children were fully engaged and the organisers were very friendly and helpful” Teacher attending an art based event.
“Very relevant to the History curriculum.” Teacher attending an Irish History Live 1916.
“Brilliant entertainment. Really pleased we stumbled upon it.” Holiday maker visiting Letterkenny attending Revolting Rhymes.
“Watching my son get hands on with a project and knowing that he was enjoying and learning” Parent attending Everyday Engineering workshop telling us about their highlight.
Who we are:
Organised by Donegal County Council's Cultural Services Division, Wainfest 2017 will celebrate 21 years of inspiring children.
The Cultural Services Division of Donegal County Council provides services to the public across three broad areas of Libraries, Arts and Heritage.
From within this Division the Library Service, Europe Direct Information Centre Donegal and Gaeltacht, County Museum and Regional Cultural Centre unite each year to put forward a programme of the very best in children's performance to inform, nurture and inspire those who will eventually grow up to be the movers and shakers across the country and indeed the world.
Donegal County Council believes that promoting and supporting arts, culture, heritage and language is good for our society, our economy and our national identity both at home and abroad. This has always been and always will be one of our enduring strengths. Our culture helps to create a deepened sense of place, citizenship and pride of place in all sections of our society. Wainfest is at the core of this and is one of the ways in which we reach out to our very youngest members.






























































