Food, farming and gardening to take centre stage at Bloom 2016
Bord Bia’s annual Bloom festival will open to the public in the Phoenix Park, Dublin tomorrow morning, June 2, marking its 10th year celebrating food, horticulture and gardening.
The President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, will officially open the five-day festival, which will feature 23 show gardens, more than 100 Irish food and drink producers, 200 retailers and 50 of Ireland’s top nurseries, all providing gardening tips, artisan food, craft beer and much more.
More than 100,000 visitors are expected to attend over the five days of the festival, organisers say. Since the first year of the festival in 2007, the show has doubled in size to a 70ac site.
The centrepiece of the festival once again promises to be the show garden area, where themes this year range from the 1916 Rising and the war in Syria, to social farming and the evolution of plants.
Speaking ahead of opening day, Bloom Manager, Gary Graham, said that everyone in Bord Bia, and all those who are involved in the show in some way, have worked especially hard this year to ensure visitors enjoy the 10th Bloom festival more than ever.
“While this is very much Bord Bia’s event, we could not put it together without the support of so many people.”
Hundreds of workers have been helping to build Bloom over the past 30 days, while more than 4,000 people, including 200 volunteers, will work onsite over the five days.
“As Bord Bia’s flagship horticulture and food event, Bloom provides us with the ultimate platform to showcase some of Ireland’s most talented garden designers, horticulturists and food and drink producers.
“There is no other event in the country that you will find all these incredibly talented people on the one site for five days and so readily accessible to the public.”
According to research carried out by Bord Bia last year, Irish consumers will spend up to €30m on gardening, foliage and landscaping in the months following the show.
Bloom opens its doors from 9am on Thursday morning and will run to 6pm each day.
The show gardens are now complete, with final judging taking place all day today, June 1. Bord Bia has said that all medals will be presented and announced on opening day, June 2.
The gardens vary in size from large, medium and small gardens, each developed with a unique theme.
Organisations such as the Marie Keating Foundation, GOAL, Mental Health Ireland and UCD have teamed up with designers to create gardens with powerful messages around social and cultural issues.
Seven small postcard gardens will also feature this year, designed by amateur gardening groups, schools and charities
