After three days sleeping on the ground, Sarah Finnan reflects on the peaks and pits of All Together Now 2025, the festival housed on the sprawling grounds of the Curraghmore Estate in Portlaw, Co. Waterford.
This year saw a 30,000-strong crowd attend All Together Now, the biggest in the festival's six-year history. Having already been to three previous editions myself, I can confidently say that the additional numbers brought a noticeable difference, albeit not necessarily a good one. Facilities felt the strain of increased footfall, with the toilets being the biggest issue of the weekend – staff worked hard to keep them clean, with a constant supply of replenished toilet paper, but there weren’t enough cubicles to cater to the masses, and it was an oft-discussed pressure point amongst revellers.
Whether the sudden uptick affected the vibe of the festival, I can’t quite decide. Things felt much more relaxed this year, a byproduct perhaps of the stunning sunshine. Friends gathered in throngs by the main bandstand, with the Greencrafts area also a hive of activity all weekend long. That said, the site definitely felt more congested. The nightly pilgrimage from the main stage to the campsite was slow-moving and treacherous—a human bottleneck of glitter and mud. Still, things felt safe, with a lovely sense of unity among attendees.
Camping may not be uniquely Irish, but our willingness to do it in all conditions feels emblematic of our enduring appetite for craic.
On the sustainability front, there were many initiatives implemented to help the team reach their goals this year. "Green initiatives take time to see the benefits," notes Helena Burns, Head of Partnerships at All Together Now, adding that this year "highlighted the work that's gone into it to date". The first Irish festival to ban single-use plastic bottles, ATN continued its push this year with all on-site staff, crew, contractors, and volunteers employing Leave No Trace practices. Carpooling is heavily encouraged, and Expressway provided complimentary bus travel for volunteers. Free refillable water stations were also dotted across the grounds, though I’d argue a couple more wouldn’t go astray.
Six years and a day since their first show with us, now one of the biggest & best bands in world— @fontainesdublin return to All Together Now.
— All Together Now (@ATNfestival) August 3, 2025
Thank you Grian, Deego, Carlos, Curley & Tom
- LOVE ATN pic.twitter.com/lWlYz9tiow
As for many, Fontaines DC and CMAT were the standout acts I was most excited to see – the latter of which delivered an impassioned speech about the knock-on effects of the 2008 financial crash before playing her new single "Euro Country" live for the first time. On Sunday night, noughties superstar Nelly Furtado brought it back to the early 2000s with a setlist dripping in nostalgia. Other favourites were Wet Leg, Seun Kuti, Martin Luke Brown, Buena Vista All Stars and BIIRD. The Jameson Connects Circle Stage remained a hub for up-and-coming artists, drawing a huge crowd for both their musical offerings and extracurricular activities alike – think album cover photoshoots and free tooth gems courtesy of Gemmed Dublin. Le Boom was the secret Sunday act, closing out a weekend of incredible performances by the likes of Dry Cleaning, Sister Nancy, and Kofi Stone.
Such a buzz All Together Now Festival; what a trip; beautiful Sunday vibes; much love one and all✨ pic.twitter.com/KoSBSMOS1b
— Villagers (@wearevillagers) August 4, 2025
Beyond the music, there was plenty else to keep festival-goers entertained, from comedy acts (my campsite neighbours were thoroughly impressed by Tommy Tiernan) to storytelling sessions by Seanchoíche and The Great Oven Disco Cantina, a culinary experience helmed by beloved Middle Eastern eatery, Tang. A slight hangover might have been at play, but the BBQ plate almost brought tears to my eyes; arguably the best food I’ve ever had at a festival and for a brilliant cause (all proceeds went to supporting food relief in Palestine). A pizza from The Big Blue Bus set me up on Saturday, while fried vegetable dumplings from Bites By Kwangi were the perfect nighttime snack to keep the devil from the door on Sunday evening. However, though the standard of the food on offer was undeniably high, so too were the prices – two falafel wraps set me back €32, and I’ve yet to brave checking my bank account to assess the rest of the damage.
I'm convinced the whole festival is at CMAT right now #cmat #AllTogethernow pic.twitter.com/hPJKET6Am7
— Leon Diop (@DiopLeon) August 2, 2025
Mercifully, the weather played ball this year with rain holding out until Sunday evening, but the walk back to the car park on Monday morning put the weekend’s casualties on full display; bags of rubbish multiplied in number, empty cans lay strewn around the place, and tired bodies struggled against three-wheeled trollies, caked in mud. Sunburn was rife, but there were still more than a few soggy tents abandoned en route, too – some borne aloft by the wind, ushering us to the exit. Camping may not be uniquely Irish, but our willingness to do it in all conditions feels emblematic of our enduring appetite for craic.
Why do all good things come to an end? Furtado’s been asking since 2006, and frankly, I’m still none the wiser. But as much as I’ll miss All Together Now, little compares to the feeling of collapsing into fresh bedsheets, and it’s there you’ll find me for the foreseeable
