Iconic international performer The Lizardman performs at Laya Healthcare’s City Spectacular which runs in Dublin’s Merrion Square from July 10-12th and Cork’s Fitzgerald Park on July 18-19th. For more information on Ireland’s biggest free summer festival go to www.cityspectacular.com
Media info: Shell Holden, Laya Healthcare’s City Spectacular, 086 152 2200
shell@cityspectacular.com
Photo: Leon Farrell
Laya Healthcare’s City Spectacular, Ireland’s biggest summer festival, will return to Dublin’s Merrion Square from the 8th to the 10th of July.
This is a family friendly event and is completely free of charge. The festival offers a variety of entertainment including international street performers, interactive family activities, workshops and international street food.
Laya Healthcare is Ireland’s second largest health insurance provider, and is making children’s health and wellbeing the primary focus of this year’s event. It will be central to Laya Healthcare’s Greatest Place on Earth area which features free kids’ aerobics, yoga and dance classes. It will also feature an appearance from the beloved puppet Bosco to support the festival’s official charity partner, LauraLynn Ireland’s Children’s Hospice.
Children will also have a lot of fun activities in the ESB Spark Your Imagination area, where they can enjoy the creative writing workshops at Fighting Words, the fun and games at the Imaginosity Dublin Children’s Museum, the science and electricity shows with mad German scientist Doktor Kaboom and the French wooden games from Festi-Jeux. They will even have chance to put their parents on trial in the ever-popular Kid’s Court, where the punishments include a custard pie in the face and being soaked with a bucket of iced water.
Laya Healthcare’s Deputy Managing Director D.O. O’Connor spoke of the organisation’s continued support of the festival:
“We are delighted to announce our three-year sponsorship of Laya Healthcare’s City Spectacular, which is the biggest free family summer festival in Ireland. Each year the festival has grown and developed and we look forward to having the best festival yet in 2016.
At Laya Healthcare, giving back to our members through free family events like Laya Healthcare City Spectacular is another demonstration of our brand promise of ‘looking after you always’ and we look forward once again to welcoming the crowds in both Dublin and Cork to this unique festival.”
A first at this year’s festival is a celebration of all things pet related, with residents being able to bring their dogs to PET-acular with the D.S.P.C.A where the team will provide microchipping and pet health advice. They can then enter them in the Scruffs Dog Show, where they will get to hang out in the King of Paws agility arena and take part in their own photoshoot.
Food lovers are in for a treat at the international street food festival, Just Eat Street. It will give visitors a chance to taste 25 different cuisines from around the world, listen to music from several international acts and enjoy the sunshine with their friends and family. Just Eat are providing a waiter service that will take food orders from and provide deliveries to festival-goers.
Event director Shell Holden spoke about some of the highlights that people can look forward to in this year’s festival:
“This year’s festival will come to life through an exciting line-up of talent including reptile-tattooed sideshow superstar The Lizardman, puppetry royalty Bosco, Bruce Springsteen’s favourite street performer contortionist Alakazam – the human knot and the larger-than-life 8ft fully-animated Titan the Robot.”
“New areas to explore at this July’s festival include Laya Healthcare’s Greatest Place on Earth; a spellbinding land where families can play, dance and create together, an international street food festival with a live music stage and waiter service, and a pet wellness area with the D.S.P.C.A where festival-goers can get pet health advice or be the star of the Scruffs Dog Show. We would love everyone – families, friends, couples and pet pooches – to come join in the celebrations and enjoy our FREE festival this July.”
The full list of entertainment and activities can be found at http://cityspectacular.com/.
By Kevin Carney
