Theatre & Arts Events Happening in September 2026

Riverdance is celebrating 30 years on stage, we've got movie stars, and the best songs of the 70s, plus a Roald Dahl favourite and a world premiere. September 2026 might be the strongest month for theatre shows in Ireland all year. Here's everything worth catching, from Dublin to Belfast to Killarney.

Riverdance 30 – The New Generation

Gaiety Theatre, Dublin | Until 6 September, Gleneagle Arena, Killarney | 10 – 13 September

Thirty years after seven minutes at the Eurovision changed Irish dance forever, Riverdance is marking its milestone anniversary the only way it knows how: bigger, bolder and with a whole new generation of dancers who weren’t even born when it began. Riverdance 30 – The New Generation sees Bill Whelan’s Grammy-winning score re-recorded, alongside reimagined lighting, projection and costume design from Emmy winner Joan Bergin.

Once its extended residency at the Gaiety Theatre wraps up, the show heads south to Killarney for a five-show run at the Gleneagle Arena. Wherever you catch it, expect the same thunderous energy and precision that has captivated over 30 million people worldwide.

FIND RIVERDANCE TICKETS HERE >>>

Mean Girls

Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin | Until 5 September

Get in, loser, we’re going to the theatre! Fresh from the West End, Mean Girls brings Tina Fey’s cult classic to the stage in fetch fashion, with music from Jeff Richmond and lyrics by Nell Benjamin, and direction and choreography from The Book of Mormon’s Casey Nicholaw. Home-schooled Cady Heron thinks she knows a thing or two about survival, thanks to her zoologist parents, but nothing prepares her for the food chain that is North Shore High.

When Cady sets her sights on dethroning queen bee Regina George, she quickly learns you can’t cross The Plastics without getting burned. Expect razor-sharp one-liners, killer songs and a healthy dose of early noughties nostalgia. Catch it before it’s so fetch it’s gone.

FIND MEAN GIRLS TICKETS HERE >>>

Judy: End of the Rainbow

Gaiety Theatre, Dublin | 8 – 19 September

West End and Broadway star Anna-Jane Casey takes on the role of a lifetime, playing Judy Garland in the final chapter of her extraordinary life. Set in London in the winter of 1968, the play captures Garland on the eve of her comeback, a woman as brilliant and funny as she is fragile, backed by her real-life concert performances alongside the highs and heartbreaks that came with them.

Casey has been preparing for the part for some time, having first seen the original production in London in the early 2000s, and has gone deep on Garland’s history, right down to the outfits, in search of the real woman behind the legend. Beautiful, funny and devastating in equal measure, this is a must for anyone who thinks they already know the story. We caught up with Anna-Jane Casey herself as part of our Backstage Pass interview series.

FIND JUDY: END OF THE RAINBOW TICKETS HERE >>>

MAMMA MIA!

The O2 Belfast | 9 – 12 September

Get ready to dance, jive and have the time of your life! The worldwide phenomenon MAMMA MIA! lands in Belfast as part of its brand-new international tour, bringing Judy Craymer’s joyous vision of ABBA’s greatest hits to Northern Ireland for a limited run only. On the eve of her wedding, Sophie’s quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother’s past back to the Greek island they haven’t seen in twenty years.

Now in its 27th year and seen by over 70 million people worldwide, MAMMA MIA! needs no introduction, but with ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘Take A Chance On Me’ and ‘The Winner Takes It All’ all guaranteed on the setlist, it’s the perfect excuse for one last singalong before summer’s out.

FIND MAMMA MIA! TICKETS HERE >>>

Matilda the Musical

Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin | 15 September – 18 October

Fifteen years since it first opened in Stratford-upon-Avon, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s multi-award-winning Matilda the Musical returns to Dublin for an extraordinary five-week run. Roald Dahl’s much-loved story of an extraordinary little girl with a vivid imagination and a sharp mind comes to life through Tim Minchin’s witty, cleverly constructed score, taking in fan favourites ‘Naughty’, ‘When I Grow Up’ and ‘Revolting Children’ along the way.

Having delighted over 12 million people across 100 cities worldwide, Matilda remains as sharp, funny and quietly rebellious as ever. Whether you’re revisiting a childhood favourite or introducing it to the next generation, this is one for the whole family.

FIND MATILDA THE MUSICAL TICKETS HERE >>>

Radio Bette

Gaiety Theatre, Dublin | 23 – 27 September

Opening this year’s Dublin Theatre Festival, Radio Bette is a world premiere from New York company The Goat Exchange, inspired by a rare rehearsal recording of a 1951 Bette Davis radio broadcast for the Lux Radio Theater. The piece unfolds live on stage, with the cast listening to the original recording and recreating it in real time, channelling the voices and personas of classic Hollywood icons including Bette Davis, Marilyn Monroe, Anne Baxter and Thelma Ritter as the line between actor and character begins to blur.

Directed by Chloe Claudel and Mitchell Polonsky, it’s billed as part homage to classic Hollywood, part contemporary experimental theatre, and promises to be one of the festival’s most talked-about openings.

FIND RADIO BETTE TICKETS HERE >>>

Still looking for the right show for you? Take a look at our Theatre & Arts Guide, where you can find Broadway & West End classics, intense drama, moving musicals and everything in between.