Bord Bia Bloom Festival is Back

One of the long-awaited festivals in Dublin is Bord Bia Bloom in the Phoenix Park and it returns over the June bank holiday weekend. Now in its 19th year, Bord Bia Bloom is Ireland’s leading horticulture and food festival.  

Bloom was conceived as a show-garden showcase, but it has long since outgrown that single identity: last year visitor numbers flirted with the 120-thousand mark, a figure more usually associated with rock festivals than flower shows. Bord Bia’s own research credits Bloom with nurturing a €1.5 billion domestic gardening market while simultaneously functioning as a shop-window for Irish food and drink.

What is new — and next — in 2025

Element	2025 Highlights
Show-gardens	21 gardens exploring downsizing, balcony living, circular-economy design and children’s therapeutic spaces. Sponsors range from Citroën Ireland to the European Commission; crowd-pleasers include a “How to Train Your Dragon” fantasy garden and a Lego-brick plot.
“Postcard” gardens	11 one-day builds by schools & community groups, supported by Tirlán CountryLife.
New hubs	The Botanical Hub for live planting demos; Ask-the-Expert Tree Clinic with Crann; plus returning favourites like Westland’s Potting Shed & the Plant Crèche.
Food innovation	A Taste of Bloom, curated by chef Neven Maguire — a three-course ticketed dining experience showcasing ingredients traders are selling in the Food Village.
Talks & workshops	300-plus sessions spanning biodiversity, seed-saving, up-cycling design, zero-waste cookery and bee-friendly planting.

Why the gardening matters

This year’s creative briefs tilt decisively toward sustainability and social wellbeing. Designers have been asked to show how Irish suburban gardens can be “downsized” without surrendering biodiversity; how balconies can become mini-meadows; how circular-economy thinking can turn waste timber into gabion walls.

Charities such as Tusla Fostering and the Marie Keating Foundation translate their missions into planting schemes that invite reflection as much as admiration. The net effect is a living anthology of practical climate action - an outdoor classroom where visitors photograph planting plans, quiz horticulturists and leave with seed-packets.

The flavour of Bloom

Across an avenue from the gardens is the Food Village. The food experiences will include a range of indoor and outdoor dining along with cooking demonstrations by celebrity chefs. There will so be a food market to buy some farm fresh and Irish made food products. In 2025 the Taste of Bloom menu has tons of variety in a single sitting, with everything from Irish cheese, heritage vegetables and coastal lamb available.

Family Activities 

Play, Learn and Grow in the Budding Bloomers Stage. With a mix of interactive, educational and most importantly FUN activities, you are sure to find something to entertain children of all ages.

A highlight for families who want to develop their knowledge of horticulture, food, science, literature, imagination and play, the Kids Zone hosts an exciting mix of fun and games for all the family to enjoy. Two children up to 16 are free with adult tickets. 

Practicalities

• Tickets: Adult €30, concession €25, with two children (≤16) admitted free per paying adult; extra kids €5. Early-bird offers have finished.

• Getting there: public-transport planners recommend Luas to Heuston Station or Dublin Bus routes 46a/69, then the free Bloom shuttle. A colour-coded traffic map (above) details pedestrian and cycle gates.

• Accessibility: level pathways, a plant-crèche for bulky purchases, wheelchair-friendly viewing ramps at the main show-gardens and a sensory space for visitors with autism.

• Best time to visit: horticultural purists favour Thursday (judging day, smaller crowds); families gravitate to Saturday-Sunday for live music and children’s workshops; bargain-hunters linger on Monday afternoon when nurseries discount plants to avoid the haul home.

Bloom begins on Thursday 30th of May to Monday the 2nd of June from 9.00am – 6.00pm, adults tickets are €25, two children under 16 free with each adults, buy tickets here.