WEXFORD FESTIVAL OPERA TRAIN RETURNS FOR 75TH ANNIVERSARY

One of Wexford Festival Opera’s most fondly remembered traditions is making a return as part of the Festival’s landmark 75th anniversary celebrations.

For the first time in almost 20 years, audiences will once again be able to travel from Dublin to Wexford aboard a dedicated Opera Train, complete with dinner on board before an evening at the opera and supper on the return journey.

Wexford Festival Opera, in partnership with Railtours Ireland, will bring back the service for one special journey on Thursday, October 22nd.

The experience will take place aboard the Emerald Pullman heritage train and will begin at Dublin Connolly Station with a champagne reception before departure at 3.30pm.

Guests will then enjoy a four-course dinner as the train travels south along the east coast towards Wexford, with a full bar also available on board.

On arrival in Wexford, private coaches will bring passengers to the National Opera House for the 7.30pm performance of Sergei Prokofiev’s The Gambler.

In a fitting coincidence, The Gambler was last performed at Wexford Festival Opera in 1973 — the same year captured in archive footage showing passengers travelling to the Festival aboard the original Opera Train.

The service became a much-loved part of the Festival experience for generations of opera-goers, with passengers traditionally dressing for the occasion and dining together on the journey to Wexford.

The Opera Train was eventually discontinued in the early 2000s.

Wexford Festival Opera Executive Director Suzanne Nance said bringing the tradition back was a fitting way to celebrate the Festival’s 75th year.

She said the anniversary is about recognising the people who have helped shape and sustain the Festival while also giving new audiences an opportunity to experience the magic of opera in Wexford.

Railtours Ireland Director Jim Deegan said he remembers travelling on the Opera Train himself and described its return as particularly special.

The 75th Wexford Festival Opera runs from October 15th to 31st, 2026.

Places on the Opera Train are limited and advance booking is essential, with further information available through Wexford Festival Opera.