“We wanted to bring something different” – Organisers of new music festival in County Wexford

Creating a music festival cannot be an easy task, but that’s exactly what both Jimmy Fleming and Orla Molloy did last year with the Bunker Bash…

The inagural Bunker Bash, which is an outdoor music festival held at The Bunker Bar just outside Gorey, took place last July. After the successes of last year’s festival, The Bunker Bash is returning in 2026 and it’s now only around the corner.

This year’s Bunker Bash is gearing up to be even bigger and better than last year’s, with it taking place over a two-day weekend on July 3rd (Friday) and July 4th (Saturday) 2026.

We caught up with local publican, Jimmy Fleming of The Bunker Bar — and one of the brainchilds behind ‘The Bunker Bash‘.

“Myself and Orla were out at a charity drive out there in the Bunker in 2024. There were outdoor bars, great vibes, a big crowd at it, and I thought to myself — ‘this would be ideal for the festival wouldn’t it’. About 2 months later, The Bunker came up for lease. And one of the reasons I took The Bunker was to run some festivals out there. That’s where the idea came from,” Jimmy told Wexford Weekly.

After the successes of last year’s event, it made sense that a 2026 event would occur. Reflecting on last year’s event, Jimmy Fleming told Wexford Weekly:

“It was our first ever bash — and the first festival we ever had out here. It was a big gamble; we had big bands, three outdoor bars, food trucks, and a huge amount of preparation. 1150 people came through the doors last year, so it was a great success,” Jimmy told Wexford Weekly.

Over the two days, festival goers will be able to dance the evening and night away to some excellent musicians and bands. Some of the acts include Rhythm & Sticks, Danny Bryne Band, Derek Ryan, The Young Wolfe Tones, Clara, Kateline Tierney, The Wrafters, Chloe Fortune, Aoife Doyle, and Mad About Ceol. Although different acts will be playing, there will be a lot of similarities too; both Mark Kavanagh’s Wexbury tent will be there, and a Heineken tent will also be set up again to help quench the thirst.

One of the biggest changes to the festival for 2026 is the fact that it will be ran over two days instead of one. Simply put, it’s twice the fun for festival-goers.

“For one day, it would cost nearly the same to run as the two days. You have it all out there already; you have your stage, your barriers, your tents, you’ve already everything done for the one day so why not just go with the two… This year, we have a Saturday. Last year, it was a Friday. We couldn’t go with the Saturday last year — but now we have both the Friday and the Saturday. It was a risk last year because we could only get Friday, with that being a working day. But this year it should work well too — because it’s on Friday evening and Saturday, it’s not two long days,” Jimmy told Wexford Weekly.

One could imagine that creating a festival wouldn’t be easy. From booking bands, organising food trucks, stocking up on drinks, and importantly — selling tickets, it’s not easy undertaking but it’s one that both Jimmy and Orla took in their stride. When asked what’s the hardest thing about organising the festival, Jimmy was quick to answer:

“Bands! They’re impossible. We’ve got some good bands this year. But it’s hard work. There’s about 6 months work in it from the get-go. Last year was our first year, and we didn’t really know what to expect, but it ran so well — so we were able to reorder everything again. Everyone who was there doing the different things were very happy with the way that it was ran, so they were happy to come back on baord again for 2026,” Jimmy told Wexford Weekly.

July 2026 will mark just the second year that The Bunker Bash has taken place. Already however, the festival has become a staple in a lot of local calendars. Other than the Gorey Market House Festival in the town, there are not many options like this for the people of North Wexford and its surrounding areas.

While The Bunker Bash provided an excellent outlet for locals to enjoy music, people came from all over not just Wexford — but Ireland — to revel in the festivities in The Rock. For Jimmy and Orla, although their primary aim is the 2026 Bunker Bash, it’s no doubt that this is a festival that could continue to improve and grow each and every year:

“I do have some big future plans yeah… Out in The Bunker, we could hold about 2,500 people out there if we really wanted to. I’d be looking to get a major act to headline the festival — but it’s just a bit hard getting them because you’d have to be booking them probably about two years in advance,” Jimmy said about his future goals with The Bunker Bash.

With great music and entertainment, and just five minutes outside of Gorey town, The Bunker Bash 2026 is shaping up to be a weekend to remember in County Wexford.

Tickets can be purhased online via EventBrite. It’s an 18+ event and there’s free parking adjacent to the festival. Additionally, taxi services will also be running constantly into Gorey town from The Bunker Bash festival.