Dublin Bay Prawn Festival: 26th-28th April

The Dublin Bay Prawn Festival takes place in Howth this weekend. There is a food village packed with food stalls and tasting sessions with everything from top quality seafood to freshly sourced local foods from some of the region’s finest restaurants and artisans. Other food events include cookery demonstrations, wine-tasting events and prawn shelling competitions. During the day there is street entertainment and a programme of walks, talks and seaside antics. As the sun goes down over Howth Harbour the fun continues as each evening the festival offer choices such as a Mystery Dine Around, Special Festival Menus in restaurants and pubs, fireworks on the Harbour and in-house musical entertainment in Howth’s Pubs.

Click below for the programme:
Dublin Bay Prawn Festival Programme

Open Air Cinema in Dublin

Open Air Cinema Fest in Fitzwilliam Square
Happenings is introducing a new instant outdoor culture into our city to inspire action and spontaneity and to tackle our unpredictable weather. In no particular order, and with a mere 36 hours notice, four iconic films will be screened over a three week period in the ultimate urban park Fitzwilliam Square starting in April for a fiver.

How it works? As soon as the weather looks favourable, Happenings will send an alert to everyone on Facebook and Twitter. Then its up to you to grab the picnic blankets, share the love and get the gang together on the grass. There will be lots of yummy food and warm beverages on sale. So stay tuned for the programme of cinematic treats under the stars……
https://www.facebook.com/Happenings1/events

Sunday Times Outdoor Film Festival at Temple Bar
Running every Thursday from 25th April to 30th May, the festival will feature some of the most popular and critically acclaimed films of all time. All film screenings will be outdoors and tickets will be available FREE of charge from Monday, April 15th.

Thu 25 April Goodfellas

Thu 2 May Back to the Future

Thu 9 May Cinema Paradiso

Thu 16 May Up

Thu 23 May Citizen Kane

Thu 30 May The Rocky Horror Picture Show

For more information keep an eye on Facebook.com/TempleBarCulturalTrust or @TBCT on Twitter

The Five Lamps Festival: 9th – 28th April 2013

The Five Lamps Arts Festival returns, enjoying its sixth year as one of the main festivals in Northside Dublin. Celebrating the Five Lamps landmark and surrounding community, this festival will be showcasing a range of art forms including literature, dance, opera, traditional music, visual art and theatre.

The festival will run from 9th to 28th April 2013 in Dublin. Many events will respond to the ideas of the 1913 Lockout; including an event in the Sean O’Casey Theatre for the one city one book event called, ‘Ballads, Banter and Banners’, an architectural exhibition in Amiens street called “Re-imagining Sean McDermot Street from Findlaters to the Five Lamps”. Take a look at the mural at the memorial garden at Marino College at the Five Lamps. Theo Dorgan launched the festival by opening the the Exiles exhibition in the Lab in Foley Street Thursday 14th March. This show curated by Alison Pilkington will run until 20th April and it is well worth a visit.

Other highlights are “Maruczella” a mime play from Poland’s Theatre Nikoli, Julie Maisel’s flute performance, Carnation Theatre’s Music Hall, French-Irish storyteller and visual artist Fiona Dowling, The Johnny Taylor Trio Jazz session, and in the LAB on Foley Street a poetry reading by Rita Ann Higgins and Paula Meehan.

Dine in Dublin: 25th February – 3rd March

It’s a good week to check out your favourite restaurant or indeed try a new one. For further details, check out Dine in Dublin. Don’t forget to download Tempster.

Christmas in Dublin

[Taken from: Heart Love Weddings]
Here’s a few suggestions to get you in the christmas spirit:

Enjoy a mulled wine at the Docklands Christmas Markets
George’s Dock, IFSC, Dublin 1
The Docklands Christmas Festival started on Friday 07 Dec and runs until 23 Dec. The Festival is in its 8th year with stalls offering food and mulled wine, hot chocolate, roasted chestnuts as well as some crafts. This year it is sponsored by Airtricity and seems smaller than previous years but is still worth a visit. There is a small carousel and some “Victorian fairground attractions” as well as a stage for live music. The market is open until 8pm on weekdays and until 10pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Admission is free. For more information visit their website

http://www.ddda.ie/index.jsp?a=70&n=109&p=629

Visit the reindeer at Farmleigh
Farmleigh House, Castleknock end of Phoenix Park, Dublin 15
Farmleigh House is celebrating Christmas with a whole range of events planned for every weekend in December among them a Food Market and a Festive Crib. Admission to all events is free. For more information check out their Christmas programme

http://www.farmleigh.ie/media/Farmleigh%20Christmas%20Programme%202012.pdf

Go dancing on ice at iSkate in the RDS
iSkate is Ireland’s biggest ice rink opening from 16 November 2012 to 13 January 2013. They offer both peak and off-peak prices and a family ticket covering 2 adults and 2 children or 1 adult and 3 children. You can find out other information plus times and booking details from their website:
http://www.iskate.ie/

Have yourself a Merry little Christmas whatever you get up to!

Odlums Cake Club

Where mates bake cakes
Good on Odlums….spotting a trend and jumping on it. Last year, we saw the success of the Great British Bake Off (GBBO) which was so popular that baking made a come back. Now we have the Great Irish Bake Off to look forward to hitting our screens soon and the second series of GBBO is more than half way through already and the Irish guy is looking good albeit with heavy 70s influences! But in the meantime, get your girls/guys together and set up your own Cake Club with Odlum’s help -you get a free cake kit when you register and the website has lots of recipes and downloads available.

Cake Club is a fun way for you and your friends or colleagues to learn how to bake cakes and enjoy the glorious end results.

Get together a group of cake lovers.
•Pick a day that suits.
•A different Cake Clubber bakes each time.
•Everyone tucks in.

Check out the website for further details:
http://www.cakeclub.ie/

HWCH 2012: 4-6th October

Hard Working Class Heroes Showcase Festival and Convention – 10 years discovering new Irish music
Hard Working Class Heroes (sometimes shortened to HWCH) is an Irish music festival for emerging bands. It has become the Irish independent music industry’s most telling barometer. It is a perfect opportunity to spot emerging acts as well as a chance to see more established artists perform in full festival spirit without having to buy a tent. HWCH is Ireland’s favorite festival dedicated to Irish bands.

100 Bands – 3 Days – 6 Venues – 1 Ticket

Dublin Community Growers: 2012 Harvest Festival

Introducing Dublin’s first Harvest Festival
This will be held within Wolfe Tone Park, Jervis St. Dublin 1 on Saturday 29th September 2012, from 11am until 5pm. It is being organised by Dublin Community Growers, a voluntary non-profit organisation which was set up to support existing community gardens and promote the development of new ones. The core ethos of Dublin Community Growers is represented by social inclusion and environmental responsibility. During the event organically grown produce from Dublin’s Community Gardens will be exchanged for free with any individuals who want to join in the fun by pledging to help out with their local community garden. This could be with specific projects, or with the general maintenance and gardening that such projects always require a hand with. As well as helping with watering, weeding, and other activities, such participants will also be able to acquire the horticultural and administrative skills that community garden project volunteers need in order to maintain these garden projects.

Dublin’s first free Public Harvest Festival will also feature many Workshops, Presentations, Information Stalls, Live Music, Film Screenings, as well as a Seed Swap. Amongst other activities, school children will be able to get involved in “Seed Bomb” Workshops, and pressing their own organic apple juice. The Green Home Programme is funded by the EPA and along with Healthy Food for All, is one of the partner organisations supporting the Dublin Harvest Festival. They will be delivering presentations on their Green Home Programme which supports households in reducing their bills by also reducing their environmental impact. A representative from An Taisce’s Green-Schools programme will also be on hand to provide information and guidance to those looking to bring a positive environmental message back to their school community.

For information on what’s on when, check out the Dublin Community Growers website.

Arthurs Day: 27th September

Paint the town black

This year Guinness are doing things differently and not selling tickets to venues instead they are celebrating in local pubs all over the country. Simply turn up at your chosen venue and hope that one of your favourite artists will walk through the door and take to the stage for a live performance within intimate surroundings. The people’s votes have decided where some of the biggest music names will be pitching up to perform on Arthur’s Day 2012 including:
AMY MACDONALD . ELLIE GOULDING . EXAMPLE . FATBOY SLIM . FUN LOVIN’ CRIMINALS . PRIMAL SCREAM . PROFESSOR GREEN . MIKA . MUMFORD & SONS . TEXAS . TINIE TEMPAH

Click here for all the latest news on Arthur’s Day 2012

Culture Night: 21st September

A late night of free cultural events around town brought to you by the Temple Bar Cultural Centre

For one night only, on Friday September 21st, museums, galleries, churches, historic houses, artist’s studios, cultural centres and more, will open their doors late for a free night of entertainment, discovery and adventure. 2012 marks the seventh year of Culture Night and this year’s programme is the most diverse yet, since the renowned late night of free cultural events was created in 2006. People of all ages across the country are encouraged to take advantage of this national night of adventure and discovery, as cultural organisations and regional authorities across a record 34 towns, cities, counties and islands in Ireland pull out all the stops to produce an unforgettable and unique evening of FREE cultural experiences for all to enjoy.

To download the brochure or the App and for more information check out the website:
http://www.culturenight.ie/