Forbidden Fruit Festival

About Forbidden Fruit

Forbidden Fruit 2027 takes place at Royal Hospital Kilmainham in Dublin, with a music bill focused on electronic, hip hop and alternative.

The festival started in 2011. The Irish Times described the inaugural edition as Dublin’s first multi-staged music festival at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, and by 2012 it had expanded to three days over the June bank holiday weekend.

Official festival copy for 2026 described Forbidden Fruit as the capital’s first and longest-running city-centre festival, then in its 14th year.

Lineup and Programme

The recent five-stage format runs across East Stage, Undergrowth Stage, Lighthouse Stage, RTÉ 2FM Rising Stage and Someplace Else Stage.

The programme covers live music performances and DJ sets, with official Forbidden Fruit Night after-parties taking place in venues around Dublin.

Who Is It For?

Forbidden Fruit is strictly over 18s. Proof of age may be required, and bars operate Challenge 25.

The audience is an adult city-centre crowd for electronic, hip hop and alternative music. The age policy means it is not a family festival.

The Venue and Site

Royal Hospital Kilmainham is used as an outdoor festival site on the grounds of the Irish Museum of Modern Art, about 15 minutes from Dublin city centre.

There is no on-site camping. Site facilities include accessible sanitary facilities, a mobility-impaired seating platform at the main stage, bar and catering facilities, cashless payments, and public bike racks on the grounds.

Forbidden Fruit takes place at Royal Hospital Kilmainham in Dublin, around 15 minutes from the city centre.

• Nearest station: Heuston Station, about a 5-minute walk from the venue.
• Road access: East Gate access is via Military Road; West Gate access is via James Street. Bow Lane, South Circular Road and St John’s Road are also listed in transport information.
• Parking: there is no parking at the venue. The nearest public car park listed by the festival is Park Rite Parking Lot, 7 Queen Street, Dublin 7.
• Bike access: public bike racks are available on the grounds of Royal Hospital Kilmainham.