Singles Burned Out by Dating Apps Can Visit This Over-165-year-old Matchmaking Festival

Every September, thousands flock to Ireland’s Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival in search of love.

By Bernadette Keith

Updated on November 8, 2026

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A matchmaking mural covers the facade above the Matchmaking Bar at the Imperial Hotel in Lisdoonvarna, Ireland. Credit: Vic O'Sullivan / Getty Images

For most of the year, the quiet town of Lisdoonvarna, nestled just inland from the rugged coastline of the Wild Atlantic Way in western Ireland, boasts just a few thousand residents. But each September, upwards of 60,000 visitors flock to the small town, all looking for the same thing: love.

The Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival, which runs for the whole month, brings singles not only from Ireland but from other countries far and wide, like the U.S., the U.K., and Germany.…