Dublin can be Heaven

Pictured: Thundercat racing on the River Liffey in Riverfest. Courtesy of Riverfest.

Dublin is surely the place to be this June Bank Holiday weekend with a fantastic line-up of events happening all over the city. From June 3rd to June 5th the Dublin Port Riverfest will take place on and around the Liffey. This is the fifth year of this hugely popular event and is set to be the biggest one yet.

Most of the action will take place between the Samuel Beckett Bridge and the 3Arena, with loads of on and off-water attractions and entertainment and an action-packed programme of fun for all the family.

ThunderCat Racing UK will be headlining the event with their first-ever Dublin performance. ThunderCat Racing is one of the world’s most exhilarating water sports (boats can be seen to fly up to six metres in the air!) and is fast gaining competitors and fans worldwide. The Thundercats will be racing four times daily as headliners of Riverfest2017.

Pictured: Kayaking on the Liffey during a previous Riverfest event.

There will also be Jet Pack displays, sailing races, powerboat displays and much, much more happening on the river, with something for everyone to see and do. There will be plenty of opportunities for festival-goers to get out on the water too, with kayaking trips, stand up paddleboarding sessions, sailing sessions, and boat tours of Dublin Port and Dublin Bay available.

On the quayside, children’s art and pirate demonstrations, street theatre, zip lines, rock climbing, maritime demonstrations, jetpack displays, food and market stalls, and a family fun fair, will all add to the carnival atmosphere.

The Jeanie Johnston will offer free tours of the ship over the course of the weekend, as will many of the always-popular international Tall Ships.

Pictured: Tall ships return to Dublin Bay and riverside on bank holiday weekend!

Visitors can also grab their popcorn for the retro drive-in movie screenings of Back to the Future and Jaws on Sunday 4th June on Alexandra Road at the North Docks. The movies will be shown on the world’s biggest mobile LED screen. Booking is essential.

As part of Riverfest, Dublin 4’s Poolbeg Boat and Yacht Club will host their annual regatta, with a schedule of Open Racing events and other attractions.

Bloom 2017 kicks off in the Phoenix Park on June 1st, with the announcement of this year’s prize-winners. For anyone who has a keen interest in gardening, garden design, floral art or great food, this annual event is a must-see.

Pictured: Bloom in the Park.

The festival was originally devised by Bord Bia to showcase the best in Irish gardening and horticulture and has since become a platform for some of the best Irish gardeners and garden designers in the business. Since its launch eleven years ago, the Bloom festival has continued to grow and diversify. In addition to all things gardening and flower-related, Bloom also promotes the work of many of Ireland’s top chefs and artisan food producers, working with the best of Ireland’s Quality Assured food.

Like all iconic events, Bloom has its own fringe activities. Guerrilla gardeners will be greening the streets of Dublin throughout the bank holiday weekend and will set out to reintroduce nature and biodiversity into unexpected, and sometimes neglected, urban and civic spaces. There will also be workshops, street art, community open days, film screenings, installations and exhibitions, bringing the festival right into the heart of the city.

All this will take place from June 1st to June 5th. The main event is based in the Phoenix Park, but watch out for pop-up forests and pretty urban oases springing up all over the place.

So, lots for everyone to see and do this bank holiday weekend. And the best news is… most of it is free!
More about Bloom can be found at www.bloominthepark.com and more about riverfest can be found at www.dublinportriverfest.com

By Jennifer Reddin

On 2 June 2017   /   Boating