Drogheda’s night time creatives and wider community have been recognised with a Purple Flag Award, celebrating the town’s evening economy and the people who bring it to life.
At a time when it is easier than ever to stay at home and connect through screens, the award highlights the value of real world connection, from meeting friends and neighbours to sharing music, conversation and a sense of belonging. Drogheda received the Purple Flag on January 26th, recognising a town where nights are shaped by people rather than online convenience.
Like the Blue Flag for beaches, the Purple Flag is an international mark of a great night out. It is awarded to towns where the evening experience is worth the visit, with strong culture, creativity and community at its heart. Drogheda’s award reflects a night time offering that is open, welcoming and alive, supported by a local partnership working quietly behind the scenes to strengthen the town’s evening economy.
Two Purple Flag assessors visited Drogheda in October 2025, experiencing the town as it naturally operates. DJs played outside Big Moon Records, the Lú Festival lights illuminated familiar buildings, and bar staff, artists, traders and organisers all stepped forward to support the assessment. There was no staging, just the town being itself.
From business owners stepping away from personal commitments to welcome assessors, to visiting artists being hosted around local kitchen tables, the assessors encountered a town that wears its culture honestly and warmly. The experience was described as open, welcoming and unmistakably Drogheda.
Cllr Michelle Hall, Mayor of Drogheda, said:
As Mayor, I get to meet people across Drogheda every day, volunteers, traders, artists, business owners and neighbours and I see the heart they put into this town. That’s what this award really recognises. It’s not about titles or buildings; it’s about people showing up for each other and creating the kind of night that makes you proud to live here. Drogheda has always had spirit, and it’s powerful to see that spirit recognised with a Purple Flag win.
Assessors praised Drogheda’s cultural strengths, highlighting venues and initiatives including Droichead Arts Centre, Highlanes Gallery, The Kiosk Project Art Space, The Barbican, and the Lú Festival of Light. They also noted the creative reuse of spaces such as the Dominican Church for The Cottage Market, and the activation of late cafes through Droichead Arts Centre’s Night Moves programme. Central to their feedback was Drogheda’s strong commitment to the arts and the partnerships that underpin it.
The award is supported by the Drogheda Purple Flag Working Group, a partnership involving Louth County Council, Love Drogheda BID, Drogheda and District Chamber, Droichead Arts Centre, An Garda Síochána, Safe Gigs Ireland and local business representatives. Drogheda first achieved Purple Flag status in 2019, with reassessment taking place every two years.Collette Farrell of Droichead Arts Centre said:
Drogheda has so much creativity, and this partnership helps us support it in new ways. I’ve loved working with the Purple Flag group over the past few years. It’s a terrific team, and it makes space for fresh ideas to grow.
