All Aboard! The Wexford Festival Opera Train returns after nearly 20 years
For the first time in almost two decades, and for one night only, audiences will once again be able to travel from Dublin to Wexford on the Opera Train, enjoying dinner on board before an evening at the opera and returning to Dublin after the final curtain. Full itinerary below.
Wexford Festival Opera, in partnership with Railtours Ireland, presents the return of the Opera Train on Thursday, 22 October, as part of the Festival’s landmark 75th anniversary celebrations. Guests will enjoy a performance of Sergei Prokofiev's The Gambler. The black-tie experience begins at Dublin's Connolly Station with a champagne toast before departure at 3:30pm.
Tickets are now on sale. Limited places available. Early booking is advised.
Suzanne Nance, Executive Director of Wexford Festival Opera, puts it perfectly. 'How romantic to travel along the coast to Wexford, share dinner on board, and arrive for a wonderful night of opera in Wexford!'.
We hope to see you on board!
From the Archives: The Opera Train in Action
For generations of Festival-goers, the opera train journey to Wexford was part of the magic. The Gambler was last performed at Wexford Festival Opera in 1973. RTÉ archive footage from that same year captures the spirit of the tradition: passengers dining as the train makes its way to Wexford for the Festival.
The Itinerary | Welcome aboard!
Opera Train Experience | Thursday 22 October
- Welcome: Champagne reception on the platform at Dublin's Connolly Station
- 15:30: Depart Connolly Station on the Emerald Pullman Heritage train
- Dining onboard: Four-course dinner with wine
- 18:00: Arrival at Wexford O’Hanrahan Station and coach transfer to the National Opera House
- 19:30: Opera performance, Sergei Prokofiev's The Gambler
- 22:30: Performance ends. Coach transfer to Wexford train station
- 23:00: Opera Train departs Wexford
- Supper onboard: Soup and sandwiches
- 01:10am: Arrival at Dublin's Connolly Station
- Onboard bar: Full cash bar available throughout the journey
Tickets: €479 per person. A limited number of places are available. Early booking is advised.
For any queries relating to any aspect of the Opera Train, please contact operatrain@wexfordopera.com.
From the Directors
Suzanne Nance, Executive Director of Wexford Festival Opera, said: “The Wexford Festival Opera Train is legendary. This landmark anniversary is about celebrating 75 extraordinary years with those who have helped to shape and sustain the Festival, while opening the door for new audiences to discover the magic of opera in Wexford. How romantic to travel along the coast to Wexford, share dinner on board, and arrive for a wonderful night of opera! We are enormously grateful to Railtours Ireland for helping us bring this much-loved tradition back to life.”
Jim Deegan, Director of Railtours Ireland, said: “I remember travelling on the Wexford Festival Opera Train myself, so bringing it back after all these years is extremely special. There was a real sense of occasion about it. You dressed for the opera, boarded the train in Dublin and from that moment, the unique evening had begun. It is an honour for Railtours Ireland to recreate that experience aboard our Emerald Pullman heritage train, in association with the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland (RPSI) and Iarnród Éireann – Irish Rail, for Wexford Festival Opera’s 75th anniversary.”