Kaleidoscope Is Ditching Every Portaloo and Dustin the Turkey Is Supervising
If you’ve been mentally filing “festival with the kids” under “sounds lovely in theory but the portaloos though,” this one’s for you. Kaleidoscope presented by Glenveagh has just announced that when it returns to Russborough House in Blessington, Co. Wicklow this July, every single portaloo on site will be gone. Fully flushable toilets will be installed across the main arena and both campsites!
The three-day family festival runs from Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th July 2026 and is expected to welcome 20,000 families from across the country. The toilet upgrade isn’t just a happy accident — it comes directly from a nationwide survey of more than 1,500 parents, who ranked toilets, cleanliness and comfort among their top priorities. It’s the kind of survey result that makes you feel deeply, completely seen.
Dustin the Turkey is now in charge – Go on ya good thing!
To mark what the festival is calling its biggest year of improvements, Kaleidoscope presented by Glenveagh has appointed none other than Dustin the Turkey as its official Festival Site Supervisor. He’s been starring in a new video series showcasing the upgrades he’s been “personally overseeing,” and if the idea of Dustin in a hard hat inspecting toilet facilities doesn’t make you smile, there’s no helping you.
For the parents heading to Kaleidoscope this summer, Dustin is pure nostalgia — The Den, Eurovision, thirty-odd years of being a national institution. Now he’s bringing that energy to festival infrastructure, which is genuinely brilliant casting. As Dustin himself put it: “The portaloos are gone, replaced with proper flushable toilets I’ve personally inspected. I’m talking cleaner-than-a-whistle stuff. If anyone wakes the smallies in the Quiet Camp after 11pm, they’ll be dealing with me too. I’m running a tight ship here.”
Shell Holden, Director of Marketing at Kaleidoscope presented by Glenveagh, explained the thinking behind the investment: “Parents were clear about what matters most — comfort, value and ease. This year we’ve invested heavily in all three, from fully flushable toilets across the whole festival site to improved access, upgraded campsites and hundreds of activities included in every ticket.”
Slide away on the Saturday and check out Oas1s – the Oasis tribute band
What else is new this year
The toilet upgrade is the headline act of a wider facilities overhaul, but there’s plenty more to know before you start packing the wellies. Both dedicated campsites are getting a proper refresh. The Quiet Camp will have a strict 11pm curfew — designed specifically for families who need their children to actually sleep. The Closer Camp is positioned for shorter walks and easier access for younger children and buggy-pushers.
New Camp Kitchens in both campsites will offer BBQ zones and wash-up stations, which means families can cook on site and keep costs down rather than relying entirely on festival food. Day-trippers will also find a new bus stop located much closer to the arena, cutting down significantly on the walk with the buggy and the tired four-year-old who suddenly can’t walk anymore the moment you need them to.
Additional cleaning teams and dedicated nappy bins will also feature across the site — small details that add up to a much smoother experience when you’re managing small people and their considerable logistical needs.
The line-up, the activities and the value
On the music side, Pete Tong Ibiza Classics, Natasha Bedingfield and The Saw Doctors are headlining. But with Kaleidoscope, the broader programme is genuinely the main event for families. This year’s line-up includes Niall de Búrca, Mark the Science Guy, the Gaiety School of Acting, the National Reptile Zoo, Wobbly Circus, Circus Factory, Planet Science Kidz, Fighting Words, the National Gallery, MTU Robotics, Go Fly Your Kite, School Fitness Ireland and many more — all included in the ticket price.
Kourtney Pavlov
Glenveagh returns as presenting partner with its Elemen-Tree Woods for a third year — a free-to-enjoy family space that’s become one of the most popular spots at the festival. The full programme for that will be revealed on the festival’s social channels over the coming weeks.
On the cost-of-living front, under-2s and OAPs go free. A Buy Four, Get One Free offer is running on both adult and child tickets until Sunday 31st May — so if you’re planning to go with another family or a group of friends, it’s worth getting organised quickly. Adult day tickets start from €68.40 and child day tickets from €46.35 including booking fee. Every Kaleido-Club Lounge upgrade also includes two complimentary kids’ passes.
Tickets are available now at kaleidoscopefestival.ie and Ticketmaster.
Kids get hands-on with robots at the MTU robotics event.