Dublin City Guide - events

St Patrick's Day Festival
Nowhere else in the world is St Patrick's Day observed with more fun and celebration than in Dublin. The St Patrick's Day Festival has become a five-day party filled with 'craic' or good times with a varied programme of events, including lots of traditional and contemporary Irish music. The Big Day Out carnival includes street performers, clowns, games, a funfair and lots of singing and dancing, and Pearl@Docklands promises an enchanting performance involving giant inflatable characters. Other highlights include the team Treasure Hunt, the spectacular Skyfest fireworks event; and a huge celebration of traditional Irish dance (Céilí Mór) where everyone can participate in a range of foot-tapping dances. The grand finale of the festival is the spectacular street parade that is a themed procession of colourful floats, marching bands and fantastic performers.
Venue: City Centre
Date: 13-17 March 2008
Website: www.stpatricksday.ie

Bloomsday Festival
James Joyce fans around the world celebrate Bloomsday on 16 June every year, but nowhere as creatively as in Dublin, the birthplace of the famous novelist. The festival commemorates his masterpiece Ulysses, one of the most highly acclaimed works of the 20th century in which Joyce captured the soul of Dublin in the tale of Leopold Bloom and his adventures on Thursday, 16 June 1904. The celebrations include re-enactments of Bloom's day as people visit the places where the novel was set, as well as readings, performances, breakfasts, look-alike contests and visits to the pub.
Venue:
Date: 16 June 2008
Website: www.jamesjoyce.ie

Dublin Horse Show
One of the highlights on the summer calendar, the Dublin Horse Show draws the top national and international show jumpers and show horses with prizes totalling over EUR415,000. The event is not only about horses, though - visitors can also enjoy live music on the grass, shop at over 200 trade stands, or visit the exhibitions, and ladies can enter the glamorous fashion competition for the EUR10,000 diamond prize.
Venue: Royal Dublin Society complex
Date: 6-10 August 2008
Website: www.dublinhorseshow.com

Festival of World Cultures
With more than 160 events in 40 venues throughout Dun Laoghaire town, and featuring artists from 50 countries, the annual international arts and culture festival entertains audiences in excess of 200,000. Its diverse and expanding programme of music, circus, theatre, dance, club nights, markets, exhibitions, workshops and activities for children, aims to develop audiences' experience of the arts, challenging perceptions of international artistic culture.
Venue: Dun Laoghaire
Date: 22-24 August 2008
Website: www.festivalofworldcultures.com