Epic visual artist lights up Lough key tower at Day and Night festival

The forest came alive this weekend as thousands descended on Lough Key Forest Park for the most ambitious and atmospheric edition yet of the Night & Day Festival.

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Now in its third year, the boutique Roscommon festival drew over 5,000 attendees — up 30% from last year — with organisers celebrating a weekend of sunshine, standout performances, and serious creative magic.

“It was amazing — our bodies are sore but our spirits are high,” said co-founder Craig Hughes. “Everywhere you looked, people were smiling. That’s what makes all the work worthwhile.”

The big talking point of the weekend was the debut of the Sol Stage inside Moylurg Tower, where artists performed amid live visual installations by Sergey Khadzhava, a Berlin-based visual media artist. Khadzhava’s projected artwork — custom-created for each act — turned the tower’s stone walls into a pulsing canvas of flames, forests, and shifting landscapes, all synced to the music in real time.

“It became something truly special,” said Hughes. “We’ve already had DJs asking how to play that stage next year. There’s just nothing else like it in Ireland.”

A video of Daithí’s epic closing set has already gone viral, showing the tower lit with immersive visuals and an electric crowd packed into the base of the ancient landmark. The festival posted: “The birth of our Sol Stage with visual artist Sergey Khadjava seems like the beginning of a very special journey.”

Elsewhere, the new Electric Cave stage by the water offered morning yoga and chilled lakeside sets by day, followed by lively, impromptu jams at night. “It just worked — really chilled out but with some amazing spontaneous moments,” Hughes said.

The diverse lineup featured everything from indie and trad to electronic and soul, carefully curated to appeal across generations. “The fact that we as organisers are from different age groups feeds into that,” Hughes explained. “There was something for everyone.”

This was also the first year children were counted separately — a nod to the growing number of families attending. “It was lovely to see so many kids running around having a great time,” Hughes added.

Backed by Roscommon County Council and Coillte, Night & Day continues to grow as one of Ireland’s most creative small festivals. Plans are already forming for 2026, with talk of expanding into new areas of the park.

But for now, after a record-breaking weekend and the birth of a new landmark stage, the team is taking a well-earned break.

“I’m looking forward to a hot tub and a nap,” Hughes laughed. “We’ve earned it.”