Save the date – The ‘Bloom’ bank holiday is back!

Brighter days ahead as Bord Bia Bloom celebrates 20 years with new features and sustainable event recognition

Bord Bia Bloom: Thursday May 28th – Monday June 1st, 2026, Phoenix Park, Dublin

Bord Bia Bloom, Ireland’s most celebrated festival of gardening, food, and sustainable living, returns for its 20th year this June bank holiday weekend. Homegrown heroes Diarmuid Gavin, Neven Maguire, Trisha Lewis and Donal Skehan are set to return alongside a host of leading Irish and international experts that will appear across the festival’s jam-packed programme. Organisers are also putting the finishing touches to a new Wellness Area in advance of the final line-up, which will be announced over the coming months. From vibrant show gardens and delicious local food to inspiring talks and hands-on workshops, Bloom signals the start of summer and is a great day out for all ages. Bord Bia Bloom returns to its home in the Phoenix Park from Thursday May 28th – Monday, June 1st, 2026.

Bord Bia Bloom 2026

Since its first event in 2007, Bord Bia Bloom has doubled in size and now attracts more than 100,000 attendees to a 70-acre site over five days.  This year, there is much to celebrate as Bloom has become the first event in Ireland to achieve the ISO 20121: 2024 Event Sustainability standard*. The accreditation marks an important milestone in Bloom’s ongoing journey to be a global leader in event sustainability. The event operates under the ‘Leave No Trace’ principle to ensure that the outdoor site is restored to its natural state each year, and organisers have implemented a host of environmental initiatives such as switching to Hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) fuel, installing two biodigesters onsite, reducing food waste, and encouraging sustainable transport, among others.

Laura Douglas, Head of Bord Bia Bloom and Brand Partnerships said, “Bord Bia Bloom is in essence a tribute to nature and a celebration of our natural environment, horticulture and the fresh produce that comes from the land. Our team have worked diligently over the years to minimise the event’s carbon footprint, continuously researching and implementing new measures to lower emissions, reduce waste, and operate sustainably. We are delighted to be the first large-scale event in Ireland to achieve this recognition, and it motivates us to keep improving our performance each year. We look forward to celebrating our 20th event in style with a host of exciting content and new features all to be announced over the coming months.

Great gardens and expert advice

Attendees will get to enjoy 20 spectacular Show Gardens which will feature creative storytelling, innovative design techniques and inspiring planting displays on a range of themes, including health and wellbeing, the environment, and entertainment. Among the new organisations involved this year are Multiple Myeloma Ireland’s ‘Rooted in Resilience’ garden designed by David Negus and ‘Met Éireann’s 90th Anniversary: A walk through Ireland’s changing climate’ garden designed by Paul Dunne and Padraic Woods. Bloom will also welcome some new garden designers, including the RHS Chelsea Flower Show award-winning Joshua Fenton, and the 2026 winner of Bord Bia’s Cultivating Talent initiative, Jack Donovan.

Other popular garden features will return, including the Garden Stage featuring green-fingered experts Diarmuid Gavin, Marie Staunton, Kitty Scully and David Maxwell, along with BBC Gardeners’ World presenter Adam Frost. Gardening fans can also visit the petite Postcard gardens, Nursery Village, Expert Plant Clinic, and avail of the popular Plant Creche.

Celebrating the best of local food and drink

The Dunnes Stores Quality Kitchen Stage will host 30 live demos with some of Ireland’s leading chefs and cooks, including Neven Maguire and Donal Skehan. Seafood fans will have plenty to savour at the Seafood Kitchen, where chef Trisha Lewis will host daily demos, over 100 of Ireland’s leading producers will be in The Food Village and the Bloom Inn will welcome over 30 expert craft brewers and distillers.

For delicious dining, the popular ‘A Taste of Bloom’, curated by Neven Maguire will return for its second year, featuring a three-course menu which has been thoughtfully designed by the MacNean House chef-proprietor to showcase some of the very best ingredients from quality, local producers. The special ‘’A Taste of Bloom’ package is available on Ticketmaster priced at €85 per person (plus booking fee), which includes entry to the festival and a 3-course lunch.

Attendees can also enjoy The Seafood Terrace, Country Crest Restaurant, or choose from more than 60 food trucks that are serving a wide variety of cuisines in the Picnic Area, Food Village, and Bloom’s dedicated grill zone, BBQ Bliss.

A masterclass in sustainable living

While soaking up the tranquil surrounds of the Phoenix Park, attendees can also enjoy inspiring talks on the Sustainable Living Stage, sponsored by Certa, with sustainability expert Jo Linehan, Food Policy consultant Ruth Hegarty, and Hometree co-founder Matt Smith among the line-up. Attendees can also meet some of Ireland’s leading biodiversity organisations in the Conservation Village and learn more about trees, plant health and growing fresh produce at home at the Horticulture is Life stage.

With 300 performances, talks and demos taking place across six stages over the ‘Bloom’ bank holiday weekend, there will be plenty of opportunities to grow, taste and learn. Further line-up announcements will be made by organisers, who are encouraging people to mark their calendars and avail of advance ticketing.

Tickets

Early-bird tickets are now available and can be purchased on bordbiabloom.com (priced from €25, excluding booking fee). Children under 16 go free, and up to two children are included with every adult ticket purchased, making it the perfect family day out.

Visit bordbiabloom.com for further information, and follow @bordbiabloom on Instagram and @bordbia on Tik Tok for more festival updates.