Dún Laoghaire Festival of World Cultures
One of my favourite events in Dublin is the Dún Laoghaire Festival of World Cultures. This event has taken place each summer for the past nine years in the Dublin suburb of Dún Laoghaire, a seaside town 12 kilometers (7 or so miles) outside the city center. (Dún Laoghaire is easily accessibly from Dublin City by public transport.) The festival is billed as “Ireland’s largest intercultural celebration offering a planet popping, family friendly, global carnival of music, arts crafts, food and culture.“ It’s really a spectacular event.
The festival has grown over the years to include over 180 events with visitors last year reaching a quarter of a million. This is no small affair! There is music from around the world as well as infusion bands like Dub Colossus who are described in the Irish Times as “traditional Ethiopian Azmari vocals smashed together with laid-back reggae and overlaid with a sheen of incandescent Afropop” (events both ticketed and free), plentiful food stalls with all types of cuisine, markets with clothing, jewelry, artwork, and much more, workshops for things like African drumming circles and Fijian dance, fringe events like intercultural soccer competitions, exhibitions on art forms like aikido, carnival rides and a big, energetic and colorful atmosphere. Source; Source
At last year’s festival I got my face painted (as most 28 year olds do) and I then spent most of time at the food tents stamping all different types of treats. What can I say? I love food. I did manage to salsa dance for a bit and also spent some time listening to a lively Polish band whose name escapes me. My experience only touched the surface of all the fantastic things this festival has to offer but I definitely enjoyed myself and I wish I could go to the event this year.
This year’s event runs from August 29-30. To find a full list of events and attractions, check out the festivals official website by clicking here.
Image Source 1; Image Source 2
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