Case Study

Sea Sessions is an annual music festival in Bundoran, Co. Donegal, that combines music with surfing and beach culture. Its concept evolved out of a small local surf event for young surfers and since 2008 it has taken place over three days in June. Sea Sessions has now established itself as Ireland’s “Surf Music Festival”.

While the core ethos and aim of the Sea Sessions festival remains unchanged since its inception, generally music festivals are now frequently more than music events, featuring a diverse assortment of additional elements to enhance the overall experience.

Business has grown from 800 paying attendees in 2008 to an event that now has an attendance capacity of 10,000. The festival actively encourages and promotes attendees to enjoy outdoor activities and the Wild Atlantic Way coast during the day, and then have fun and listen to great music as the sun sets in the evening.

In this case study, we explore how the festival significantly contributes to the local and regional economy bringing large numbers of visitors to the local area, how the festival scene is evolving, with challenges faced by the industry and opportunities to grow going forward.