In excess of 100,000 visitors are set to descend on The Phoenix Park in Dublin as Bloom Festival 2024 kicks off today - as sunshine is set to scorch punters over the June Bank Holiday weekend.
The festival of food and flowers, now in its 18th year, will showcase the best in colourful gardens, while hosting talks and demos and live interactive entertainment for visitors of all ages over the next five days.
And good news for gardening fans as Met Eireann are forecasting temperatures to reach as high as 17C on Thursday, while the mercury is set to rise to almost 21C this weekend.
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A forecaster for Met Eireann said "high pressure is firmly in charge" for this June Bank Holiday weekend.
A spokesman said: "High pressure firmly in charge with settled and mainly dry weather throughout. Sunshine will turn a little hazy later in the afternoon however as a touch of cloud builds across northern counties.
"Highest temperatures of 16 to 20 degrees in light northerly breezes.
"Friday Night: Staying dry and largely clear overnight with just a little scattered cloud across northern counties. Light winds and lowest temperatures of 5 to 9 degrees.
"On Saturday, fine and dry with plenty of long sunny spells and just a touch of cloud at times across Ulster. Light winds and highest temperatures of 16 to 20 degrees, warmest across Munster and south Leinster.
"On Sunday, latest models would suggest that high pressure will remain for Sunday bringing plenty of dry and sunny weather throughout. Temperatures look set to reach around 17 to 21 degrees."
Bloom organisers have spent the past seven weeks working behind the scenes ahead of throwing open the doors at 9am on Thursday.
This year will see 22 show gardens on display; which consist of small, medium and large sized displays and three feature pieces.
There is also a sculpture garden and up to 70 food trucks dotted around the site.
Laura Douglas, Head of Bord Bia Bloom, said: "There is no other festival like this in Ireland. Whether you are a gardening enthusiast, a foodie or looking for a great day out there is something for everyone.
"We have 22 stunning show gardens, we have a fantastic selection of food and drink across the site.
"There is live entertainment, a children’s area and five stages with talks and demos over the five days all in the Phoenix Park.
"We are expecting more than 100,000 people and planning for the event started 12 months ago. So, we spent seven weeks building the gardens and 700 people working on site, so we have to transform the whole site and then the gardens have to be returned to the way it was.
"The judging is taking place now and tomorrow morning the medals will be given out.
"Every garden tells its own unique story. There are environmentally conscious gardens to help biodiversity and gardens for amateur gardeners."
She offers advice on how visitors can make the most of the Bord Bia Bloom experience: "My number one tip is to plan your visit as there is so much to see! With five stages offering almost 200 talks, demos and performances across the festival’s five days, I would recommend booking tickets online ahead of time.
"Visit the Plan Your Day section of the Bord Bia Bloom website as it includes site maps, exhibitor and feature listings and a schedule of all events happening within the 70 acre event site.
"It’s a great resource to make sure you don’t miss out on your favourite entertainers, speakers, chefs, gardens, or exhibitors.
"We would also encourage visitors to consider simple ways to make their visit as sustainable as possible. We have free green transport options and extended bike racks in place, and would encourage attendees to bring their own reusable water bottle or cup to avail of onsite discounts and hydration stations. These simple actions support our wider commitment to creating a more sustainable event that also facilitates knowledge sharing, and positive action"
On Wednesday, RTE star Doireann Garrihy posed alongside Minions Kevin and Stuart at the launch of the five-day festival.
With just two days to go before she leaves 2FM after five co-hosting 2FM Breakfast with Donncha O’Callaghan and Carl Mullan, Doireann donned a yellow short suit to pose at the festival’s Despicable Me 4 garden.
The garden was designed by Co Monaghan creative designer Benny Magennis, who has also designed past iterations of the Minions Garden at Bloom.
Themes from the upcoming film are scattered throughout the garden and it promises to celebrate "all things Minion and yellow".
And over at the Keelings stand, 90s pop band B*Witched performed at the launch of Bloom Festival 2024 as Keelings previewed their ‘Love that Keelings Feeling’ Garden at Bloom.
The denim-clad foursome Edele and Keavy Lynch, Lindsay Armaou, and Sinéad O'Carroll joined Keelings to kick off Bloom 2024.
Their track C’est La Vie now features in a brand new Keelings advert, airing across TV channels, capturing the fun of that ‘Keelings Feeling’ when enjoying delicious, fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers.
Speaking about the new advert, Edele Lynch of B*Witched, said: "We were delighted to have C’est La Vie featured in Keelings' new advert. We’re all mums, and we all like to eat well, so fresh produce is a big part of our daily lives.
"Whether I’m giving the kids a snack, doing meal prep, or making a Sunday dinner, fresh fruit and veg are so important. Keelings is a brand we all love and get so much enjoyment from."
The ‘Love that Keelings Feeling’ Garden at Bloom, designed by James Purdy, is an interactive sensory experience featuring fresh fruit bushes, pear and apple trees, rhubarb patches and strawberry plants. Visitors can immerse themselves in the garden, which also includes wildflowers and native hedgerows, all of which play an important role in growing fresh fruit.
Keelings growers will also be on-hand to share their knowledge and expertise for growing your own fruit plants at home. All building materials are reclaimed or sustainably sourced within Ireland to reduce the carbon footprint, with plants and flowers sourced and grown from local Irish nurseries including Keelings' own. Everything will be reused, repurposed or recycled after the show. Keelings encourages everyone to come visit, join in the fun and interact with their innovative hand-built conveyor, to receive a gift of some fresh seasonal berries to taste and enjoy.
Caroline Keeling, CEO of Keelings, added: "At Keelings, we want to inspire more people to enjoy fresh produce, and our garden at Bloom is a celebration of that. We’re so excited to share our garden and can’t wait to meet the thousands of people who will wander through our orchards, wildflowers and strawberry patches at Bloom over the next few days.
"Taste and enjoyment are at the essence of everything we do at Keelings, and that’s something we hope visitors to our garden will experience."
Westland Horticulture launched its Potting Shed at Bord Bia Bloom, with a seed sowing workshop hosted by Mary Kennedy and Margaret Anne Suggs.
Children from a local primary school were invited to join Irish TV presenter, Mary Kennedy, and children’s book illustrator, Margaret Anne Suggs, to Westland’s very first seed-sowing workshop, intended to spark a passion for growing and gardening amongst the next generation.
The former Nationwide presenter led the workshop and inspired the children to embrace the joy of gardening by sowing their very own pumpkin seed, while Margaret Anne Suggs, best known for her illustrations in the Pigin of Howth book series, coached the children to decorate their seed pots with drawings of the pumpkins they hope their seeds will grow into later this year.
Keith Nicholson, Marketing Director at Westland, said: "Engaging the next generation of gardeners is something Westland cares deeply about. Gardening can teach valuable lessons about the natural world and offers children a sense of responsibility and accomplishment.
"The Westland Potting Shed will be open to the public from tomorrow, and we look forward to welcoming many more young gardeners through our doors to join the pumpkin-growing journey this summer.
"All visitors will be able to decorate their own biodegradable pot and plant a seed to take home and care for."
Top seven things to do at Bloom this weekend
- Taste the best of Irish – With almost 100 food and drink companies, the bustling Food Village and Bloom Inn will be a guaranteed stop on any visit. Meet the people behind new and familiar products; and enjoy sampling on the go. Make sure to keep an eye out for new products launching exclusively at Bord Bia Bloom, you won’t want to miss out! Looking for something more substantial to eat? With four restaurants onsite, and 60 food trucks dotted around the Phoenix Park there is something for all tastes.
- See the show gardens - Described as the ‘Jewel in the Crown’ of Bord Bia Bloom, a total of 22 small, medium and large show gardens and feature gardens will reflect colourful examples of the most recent trends and advancements in garden design while also imaginatively telling stories about creative concepts, and address local and global issues. There will be special guests, panel discussions and musical performances happening at the gardens throughout the event.
- Live cookery demonstrations and talks - The Quality Kitchen Stage will host some of Ireland’s leading chefs including Darina Allen, Neven Maguire, Catherine Fulvio, Rory O’Connell, Fiona Uyema, Edward Hayden, Trisha Lewis, Adrian Martin, Erica Drum, Shane Smith and Brian McDermott. Summer dining, baking essentials, airfryer recipes and much more will feature throughout the recipe demonstrations. The stage will also host interviews with more than 40 Irish food producers across the five days.
- Be inspired, educated, and entertained - Learn about actionable changes which can be implemented into home, life and garden at the Sustainable Living Stage and Garden Stage. For live entertainment, the Main Stage will have musical performances, while the Budding Bloomers area promises to keep children engaged with a variety of interactive workshops and demos!
- Experience a workshop – The Design & Crafts Council Ireland brings together some of Ireland’s most creative designers and makers. Experience the magic of seeing a skilled craftsperson transform raw materials into a finished design before your eyes and take home a piece of Ireland’s living design culture. A delight for young and older eyes! Or visit the Conservation Zone, where 15 charities and organisations will host talks and workshops over the weekend. Included in the line-up is the Irish Wildlife Trust, Irish Seed Savers and Birdwatch Ireland.
- Go shopping - The Retail Pavilion, Plant Emporium, Nursery Village and Design and Crafts Council village will welcome some of Ireland’s leading growers, suppliers, makers and companies with everything to help visitors enhance their home and garden. Don’t worry about carrying everything either, the Plant Creche located beside the main information centre will keep any plant purchases safe until visitors are ready to leave.
- Gardening Galore - Aside from the show gardens, garden enthusiasts will find plenty of inspiration in the ever-popular Postcard Gardens, which include 13 small but perfectly formed pop-up gardens that are designed and built by community groups, schools, and training groups from across Ireland. A lively Nursery Village will feature some of Ireland's leading nurseries, while floral displays from Ireland’s finest floral artists and a botanical art exhibition will simply delight! The Plant Clinic will also be on hand to help answer any plant-related queries and provide top tips for plant health.
How to get there
- Walking or public transport - Chesterfield Avenue is the Pedestrian Entrance to Bord Bia Bloom, and whether entering the park from the Parkgate St, White’s Gate (pedestrian only) or Castleknock gate, it is a 25 minute walk. Free shuttle buses, powered by hydrogenated vegetable oil depart from Parkgate Street (beside Heuston Station) and run every 10 minutes from 7am – 7pm daily
- Bike or car - For traffic coming from the city centre, there are three suitable entrances to the park: the Main Gate off Parkgate Street, the Cabra Gate via Blackhorse Avenue or the North Circular Gate. Traffic coming via the M50 or north of the city can take the Ashtown, Castleknock, Knockmaroon or Chapelizod gates. Once you enter the Phoenix Park, follow the signs for the nearest car park.
- For cyclists, bike racks are located in the green car park.
- For drivers, there are two car parks at Bord Bia Bloom, a green and a red, both costing €10 per day. Disabled car parking is available in both car parks, close to the entrances. Parking can be pre-booked on Ticketmaster with tickets valid for either car park.
