Dublin Things to Do

Held in honor of the region’s world-renowned prawns – large, flavorsome crustaceans that originated from Dublin’s coast – the Dublin Bay Prawn Festival is one of the city’s most exciting food events, running over 3 days each spring in the coastal suburb of Howth.

From riotous pub-crawls to a packed calendar of city festivals, Dublin knows a thing or two about how to throw a party. Vibrant parades, talented buskers and an endless supply of Guinness are on the agenda at the city’s annual street festivals – here’s the lowdown on the best events.

St Patrick’s Day, held annually on March 17th, is one of Ireland’s biggest celebrations with Dublin at the center of festivities. Held in honor of St Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland, St Patrick’s Day, or St Paddy’s Day as it’s often nicknamed, is the most traditionally Irish day of the year, a national holiday on which huge crowds of revelers take to the streets wearing shamrocks, donning green clothing (the symbolic color of Ireland) and downing pints of Guinness.

From January 25-29th, 2012 the 7th annual Irish Music and Culture Festival will bring Temple Bar and the rest of Dublin alive during the cold days and dark nights of winter.

Headline concerts will be held in some of Dublin’s landmark buildings, with performances at the nearly 1,000-year-old Christ Church Cathedral, including The Dubliners 50th anniversary concert and Ralph McTell. Plus lunchtime and intimate evening concerts of Irish music at Dublin’s City Hall, including some of Ireland’s leading musicians such as Voices and Harps, featuring Moya Brennan.

As if Dublin needed an excuse to get out and party; the 2011 Absolut Fringe Festival is on from September 10-25. That’s sixteen days of over one hundred performances, music, theatre, comedy, dance etc etc. Venues are dotted all over Dublin so it’s an excellent way to explore the city.