What is Lughnasadh… Lughnasadh is a harvest festival, where the first fruits of the harvest are celebrated on or around the 1st August, and is named after the god Lugh.

Lugh was a popular sun god, worshipped throughout the Celtic world. In Gaul, he was identified as Lugus or Lug. Because Lugus was identified as the solar god, the Greeks identified Lugus with the sun god Apollo. In Wales, he was called Lleu, while in Ireland, he was called Lugh or Lug. He was popularly called Lugh Lamfada – “Lugh of the Long Arms”, as well as Lugh Samildánach – “Skilled in All the Arts”. It is said that Lugh instituted an event similar to the Olympic games called the Assembly of Talti which finished on Lughnasadh (1 August) in memory of his foster-mother, Tailtiu, at the town that bears her name (now Teltown, County Meath).

The community of the Beltane Fire Society has celebrated Lughnasadh in a variety of ways over the years. Often games are held in the afternoon of the festival and winners of the games are then selected to be perfomers in the evening ritual celebration.

Lughnasadh 2024

In 2024 we are celebrating in style with our Fire-Loving Friends in North Berwick, at Fringe by the Sea – its a Torchlit Procession! It’s happening on the 4th August, because we couldn’t get permission to hold it on a weekday! Its in partnership with Fringe By the Sea and GoFibre.

We will also have some performers and goblin characters ‘helping’ with the Sand Castle Contest as well as adding some ‘much necessary’ Lughnasadh madness in the heart of the festival on that day.

Tickets for the torchlit procession are available here >>>

Members of the society who aren’t participating in the festival but want to attend can use our discount coach to reduce car usage and stress BFS Member Bus Tickets >>>

We are still looking for Stewards for the event – if you are still a BFS member and have participated in BFS events before please consider stewarding for us STEWARD REGISTRATION >>>