Ireland's largest gardening festival, Bloom, starts tomorrow. Taking place in the Phoenix Park in Dublin, the festival runs from Thursday 1st June until Monday 5th June. Bloom starts at 9am and finishes at 6pm each day.

Since its inception in 2007, the festival has grown in size and popularity. This year, there will be 22 show gardens along with nine smaller pop-up 'postcard' gardens across 70 acres.

There are also many panel events, talks and food offerings. Over 100,000 visitors are expected over the five days, so it is best to plan ahead!

Read more: Irish Gardener's easy tip to create stunning vertical garden on your wall & fences

There are still some tickets left for Bloom and they can be bought on Ticketmaster. Tickets start at €25 per person excluding booking fees and two children under 16 can attend for free with every adult ticket purchased. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the two entrances, until they sell out.

Improving air quality, tackling food waste and ensuring biodiversity are part of Bloom's theme this year. The festival has a renewed focus on sustainability.

How to get there - parking and public transport

If you are planning on walking or taking public transport, you'll need to get to Chesterfield Avenue as that is the pedestrian entrance to Bord Bia Bloom. If you are entering the Phoenix Park from Parkgate Street, White’s Gate (which is pedestrian only) or Castleknock Gate, it is a 25 minute walk to the festival entrance.

The good news is that there will be a free shuttle bus to the festival entrance leaving from Parkgate Street all throughout the five days, from 7.15am to 7pm. Doors open at 9am.

If you are planning on cycling or driving, there are three suitable entrances to the Phoenix 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 Bloom car park. There are two car parks, a green and a red, both cost €5 per day. Disabled car parking is available in both car parks, close to the entrances.

Parking can also be pre-booked on Ticketmaster, and this ticket will be valid for either car park.

For cyclists, it’s possible to cycle right up to both entrances and park in the expanded cycle parks.

Weather

Met Éireann are forecasting a scorcher this weekend, with temperatures potentially reaching up to 18 degrees. Make sure you wear sunscreen, bring your hat and sunglasses and a reusable water bottle, as Bloom has free water refill stations dotted around the festival!

You'll be doing a lot of walking too, so the festival advises bringing a picnic blanket you can sit down on if you need a break.

Gardens

The festival will have a variety of different gardens on show this year. 22 of these will be show gardens, created by expert gardeners, which are sure to impress all green thumbs!

Highlights include the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory The Musical garden, which is inspired by the Roald Dahl classic and features edible and medicinal plants.

Other show gardens include the First 5 Garden of Wonder and Discovery, which was designed by children for children. This unique large concept garden, funded by Dormant Accounts, will promote the importance of outdoor play for young children.

There is also the Out of This World garden featuring a UFO, the Rise Garden designed by young people detained at Oberstown, and a virtual reality garden.

As well as the show gardens, there are nine smaller postcard gardens, including ones featuring talking plants, sustainable farming practices, a garden on wheels and one made up of items destined for landfill.

'Goal's Global Garden', designed by Tünde Perry and sponsored by GOAL Global, will be at this year's Bloom festival. Photo: Fennell Photography
'Goal's Global Garden', designed by Tünde Perry and sponsored by GOAL Global, will be at this year's Bloom festival. Photo: Fennell Photography

Speakers/events

Over the five days, many speakers and events will take place - you can see a full list here. The events all take place on different days, so it is best to check what is happening on the day you are planning on attending.

There are five stages at the event: the Garden Stage, Quality Kitchen Stage, the new Sustainable Living Stage, Budding Bloomers Stage and the Entertainment Stage.

The Garden Stage will feature speakers giving advice on how to create your own show garden at home. Fiann Ó Nualláin, the Holistic Gardener will MC this stage.

Fiann will be joined by a panel of experts, including Mary Reynolds of the grassroots movement, We Are The Ark (Acts of Restorative Kindness); Pat Keville of Plantstore.ie; television presenter Gerry Daly; and YouTube gardening sensation, Niall McCauley.

This year the Conservation Area has been expanded and the new Sustainable Living Stage will have talks covering everything from food waste, beekeeping and biodiversity.

Entertainment will include Tobi Kaye, Sean McComish, and live shows from RTÉ Lyric FM, including Marty Whelan.

Food

You can buy food onsite at the festival in the Food Village, which has been redesigned. There are also new food offerings, the Funky Food Fleet will bring a collection of Ireland’s tastiest food trucks to the festival for the first time.

There is also Bistro Bloom, Garden View Restaurant, The Phoenix Café and BBQ Bliss to choose from.

The Food Hall will house the Food Market, Fresh Produce Market, and Love Irish Food area, where you can buy food items to bring home.

For foodies, there will be live cookery demonstrations from some of Ireland’s leading chefs including Neven Maguire, Catherine Fulvio, Rory O’Connell, Fiona Uyema, JP McMahon, Edward Hayden, Brian McDermott and Shane Smith. The Quality Kitchen stage will also host interviews with more than 40 Irish food producers.

Family activities

The Budding Bloomers Stage features events specifically aimed at children, so if you have your family in tow this stage is a good shout.

RTÉJr will be there, and children will get a chance to participate in knitting and weaving, face painting, storytelling, a kid's disco, and will be treated to a magician's performance.

Accessibility

Disabled people who require a carer can avail of a Carer’s pass, which will allow them to take one companion to Bloom for free.

Disabled car parking will be available in both car parks, close to the entrances. Make sure you display a disability parking sticker in a visible position so that parking stewards can direct you to the dedicated parking areas.

The free shuttle bus service from Parkgate Street to Bloom and back is made up of wheelchair accessible double decker buses.

It should be noted that the ATM on site is not wheelchair accessible.

Shopmobility will provide wheelchairs for hire at Bloom for a small deposit, which is returned when dropping back the wheelchair.

Unisex wheelchair accessible toilets will be available.

A medical centre will be provided on site, where diabetics can inject insulin in a private space.

For more information, head to the Bord Bia Bloom website.

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