I don't care that Met Eireann claims it doesn't start until June 1st or astronomers argue that June 21st is the actual date...the May Bank Holiday weekend is when most people in Ireland start thinking of summer.
It also helps that the temperature this Saturday is set to reach 17 degrees!
This weekend, you can choose from farm festivals, walking festivals, food festivals, music festivals, river festivals, festivals of fools and even a May The Fourth Be With You festival.
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Here is a selection of some fun things to do over the May Bank Holiday weekend:
1) Woolapalooza | Airfield Estate
On Sunday and Monday, Dublin’s most unique suburban farming festival takes place at Airfield Estate.
The 38-acre food and farm destination will host an array of events for all the family including sheepdog trials, demonstrations, food and crafts, family fun and lots more.
2) Riverfest Limerick
Limerick's biggest festival over the Bank Holiday weekend will feature waterfront events, Ireland's largest BBQ, water activities and spectacular performances by world champion wake-boarders and jet-ski riders, along with a very spectacular fireworks display.
3) Castlecomer Discovery Park
Castlecomer Discovery Park is home to Ireland’s longest zip line - 300 metres long and 35 metres over the ground at its highest point. Visitors zip over the stunning woodland, two lakes and a 17th-century hand-restored bridge.
They have a special spring deal offering 20% off the Zipline and Octagon on Saturday and Sunday morning - for those brave enough to try them!
4) Family Breaks
Long weekends are great for short family breaks around Ireland and lots of hotels are geared towards family visitors
The Hodson Bay Hotel has a new Medieval Triangle deal where guest can jump on board the Viking boat at Hodson Bay’s and visit Athlone Castle to discover tales of medieval battles, territories won and lost and enjoy a pint at Sean’s Bar, Ireland’s oldest pub.
The May Bank Holiday weekend is also the first real camping weekend of the year and, as always, there are plenty of choices. You could try Nore Valley Park in Kilkenny, which has a pet farm, playground and lots of family activities on-site or Hidden Valley Holiday Park in Wicklow, which has activities such as kayaking, fishing, swimming, rowing boats.
5) Ballyhoura International Walking Festival
The 23rd annual festival provides an opportunity to explore some of Ballyhoura Country’s stunning countryside in the company of guides.
The Festival features a packed programme of walks for all abilities, from the enthusiastic well-equipped walker to the gentle ramblers and families who are out to enjoy pleasant guided walks in the company of local experts in the fields of heritage, archaeology, history, flora, and fauna.
6) Alliance Francaise Dublin Comic Book Festival
The 4th Alliance Française Dublin's Comic Book Festival in partnership with Illustrators Ireland and the Comics Lab welcomes this year the legendary French illustrator, Tomi Ungerer.
From the 1st to 5th May, the French Library (1 Kildare Street) will host a series of events on the art of illustration and comics: live reading performances, a round-table discussion with a panel of illustrators and authors, an exhibition of illustration students, a children’s workshop and a pop-up book fair!
Admission free for all events but booking is essential
7) The Ark Temple Bar
The Ark launch their new monthly early-years programme Seedlings with a special workshop on Saturday morning designed to allow children aged 2-4 to get creative with their older relatives. Led by The Ark's Early Years Artist in Residence, Lucy Hill, it will be an experience that will stimulate imaginations of all ages!
8) Smithwicks Kilkenny Roots Festival
Since 1998 the festival has attracted some of the finest names in the Americana/Roots and this year is no different.
From Friday 4th until Monday 7th, audiences wind their way through the medieval streets sampling the huge range of music in the 30 plus venues, hosting over 30 acts from Ireland, USA, Canada, UK, and Sweden, with over 80 ticketed and free shows.
9) Festival of Fools
Festival of Fools is a four-day international street theatre festival in the centre of Belfast taking place over the May Bank Holiday weekend.
Top street artists, from Canada, Japan, Finland, Italy, Argentina, France and Ireland, give more than 120 performances, with the emphasis on comedy - the more physical and surreal, the better.
10) National Archaeology Museum | Fishy Business
On Saturday afternoon from 2pm-4pm, discover the Stone Age replica objects in the Museum's handling collection. Examine the replica fish trap and flint stone tools to learn about how people in Stone Age Ireland caught their dinner. Then make your own paper fish to take home.
11) Slieve Bloom Walking Festival
Why not join Ireland's longest running walking festival - the Slieve Bloom Walking Festival, with a great choice of walks over three days on the May Bank Holiday Weekend, with fun gatherings in a local pub afterwards.
Choose from pleasant and easy woodland walks to more challenging hikes through wilderness areas in the beautiful Slieve Bloom Mountains.
12) Connemara Mussel Festival
Originally established to promote the excellence of the mussels of Killary Harbour, Connemara Mussel Festival has grown to become a celebration of local people, food, culture and heritage, and is recognised as the premier food event for Connemara attracting visitors from near and far.
Events include cooking demonstrations, storytelling, exhibitions, talks, walks, runs, treasure hunts and dancing.
13) Drogheda Arts Festival
The 14th Drogheda Arts Festival takes place in 2018 during May Bank Holiday weekend with an eclectic mix of theatre, music, tours, literature and spoken word, visual art, family and outdoor activities for all ages.
The festival is a mixture of adult and children's theatre alongside some fantastic free family events. There will be a free street spectacle on the winding medieval streets of the town, special theatre performances for younger audiences, and a fun family day at Beaulieu House.
14) Wells House & Gardens
Wells House in Wexford hosts a fun Teddy Bears Picnic and barbecue on Sunday afternoon. The fun, family event, with their friends Electric Zoo, is included with daily car admission.
15) Cavan Walking Festival
This year’s festival will feature fourteen walks of varying difficulty from May 4th - May 11th. The walk range from relaxed strolls to more challenging walks and walks have been organised from Kingscourt in the east of the county to Blacklion in the west.
16) National Wax Museum Plus
The Teddy Bear's Picnic did not go as planned!
See them gaily gad about, they love to play and shout but the Wax Museum needs your child's help to restore order this weekend. Open daily from 10am - 10pm.
17) City of Derry Jazz & Big Band Festival
Enjoy Northern Ireland’s Biggest and Best Jazz Festival over the May Bank Holiday Weekend in Derry.
The annual celebration of jazz and big bands will feature artists from all over the world performing to over 60,000 revelers people. Among the popular acts performing at the festival this year are Dinosaur, Heavy Beat Brass Band, The Revolutionaries!, Kaz Hawkins & Sam York, and Basork.
18) Kerry Camino Walking Weekend
The Kerry Camino is an annual guided walk on the May Bank Holiday weekend starting on the Friday 4th of May. This a supported walk so there will be guides and support cars if needed.
The Kerry Camino is a Tralee initiative to promote walking in the area, specifically the walk known also as The Dingle Way between Tralee and Dingle. On the Kerry Camino, a walker uses a Passport and stamping stations on the route - popularity known as The Dingle Way between Tralee and Dingle - to mark their progress. Booking in advance.
19) Cork Harbour Boat Hire
Heading to Ed Sheeran in Cork this weekend? Why not travel in style.
Cork Harbour Boat Hire will pick up you and your friends in Cobh or Monkstown in one of their High-Speed Ribs and drop you off right beside Pairc Ui Chaoimh.
Just don't Rock the Boat!
20) Tayto Park
Tayto Park Theme Park and Zoo are now officially open for summer - daily until the end of August. Visit this weekend and try the new Nissan Driving School as well as the popular Viking Voyage and the Cú Chulainn Coaster.
21) EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum
As part the of 'May The Fourth Go With You' Festival, EPIC will host a fun, family workshop on Saturday morning in CHQ, Dublin where you can invent a fantastic spaceship.
Will you make an even better Millennium Falcon or come up with your very own design? The morning will be full of art, face-painting and invention – and you can even show off your favourite Star Wars character by coming along in costume! Tickets must be booked in advance and each child ticket includes admission to the museum.
22) Clonfert Pet Farm
To launch their brand new Clonfert Fairy Trail, the farm is hosting a Coffee Morning on Friday at 10.30am. All proceeds from the morning will be donated to St. Joseph’s National School OsKaRs fundraiser.
The farm is also open every day and admission includes entry to the farm and animals as well as access to outdoor play activities including Bouncy Castle, Go-Karts, the new Fairy Trail and entry into the indoor soft play area.
23) Inishbofin Arts Festival
Inishbofin Island hosts the annual Arts Festival over the May Bank Holiday Weekend, May 4th to 6th 2018. with an art exhibition, workshops, walks and live performances from local, national and international artists including Grammy-nominated, Irish-American supergroup Cherish The Ladies.
24) SkyPark
Get high in Louth and the family-friendly SkyPark with four different level aerial course featuring zip lines, rock climbing towers, suspension bridges, Tarzan swings, tightropes, rope bridges, cargo nets, base jumps and tree houses.
They also have other activities including Quazer, Mini Golf, Footgolf, Archery and more.
25) Bray Jazz Festival
The Bray Jazz Festival returns for it's 19th year this weekend with more than 40 shows featuring artists of over 20 different nationalities performing European jazz, American jazz, contemporary jazz, Norwegian jazz and much more.
The Mermaid Arts Centre will host over ten shows including US-born singer China Moses, Irish duo Cora Venus Lunny and Conor O'Hara and the Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas Quintet.
26) Slieve Aughty Centre | Traditional Skills Family Day
As part of the Weekend in the Hills festival, you can visit the traditional skills workshop as participants craft, carve, weave and sew. Get inspired and make a rustic face or paint a fairy door to bring home.
Admission is €7.50 and includes a craft for the children as well as visits to the Enchanted Forest, playground access, and face painting. Save some room for their famous pancakes from The Three Towers.
27) Bird's EuroShow Funfair Castlebar
Open daily over the Bank Holiday weekend from 2pm, Bird's EuroShow Funfair at the Military Barracks in Castlebar runs until Sunday, May 13th, offering a fun atmosphere with fantastic rides and attractions for all of the family.
28) Wild West Country Fest
The Wild West Country Music and Social Dancing Festival weekend in Kilconly, Tuam, features the best line-up to appear together along the Wild Atlantic Way with some of Ireland's top country acts and winners from the inaugural RTÉ Irish Country Music Awards.
29) Dinosaurs Around the World
Dinosaurs Around the World will transport you into the era of the dinosaur for a tour of an Earth very different from today. With advanced animatronics, a multi-layered narrative, fossils, authentic casts, cutting-edge research and immersive design elements you’ll experience the Age of Reptiles as it comes to life!
30) Feile na Bealtaine, Dingle
A community-based arts festival to make artistic and cultural events accessible to all who live and visit the Dingle Peninsula. The fun programme includes music, dance, theatre, literature, lectures and much more.
31) Made of Mayo | Mayo Day
Mayo Day is a day dedicated to the celebration of the arts and culture, communities and spirit of County Mayo.
Now in its 4th year, 2018 sees the arrival of a new flagship event Made of Mayo, a free, family event in Ballinrobe Racecourse on Saturday afternoon. The racecourse will be transformed into a hive of Mayo Day celebration with something for all the family including live music, art and literature inspired by Mayo, demonstrations, activities and lots more.
32) GAA Junior Explorer
Go behind-the-scenes and learn fun facts about the GAA and Croke Park.
During the Stadium Tour, visit the team dressing rooms, warm-up area and run out pitch-side through the players’ tunnel, while in the GAA Museum, use the special Junior Explorer Passport to follow clues and discover some of the museum’s most famous exhibits, including the original Sam Maguire and Liam MacCarthy Cups.
33) Family Fun Day and Craft Fair
The Westgrove Hotel in Clane, Co. Kildare is hosting a FREE Family Fun Day & Craft Fair on Bank Holiday Monday, May 7th from 12pm until 4pm. There will be bouncy castles, face painters, magicians, craft & food stands and much more.
The event is supporting The Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation. All donations are much appreciated. Every €16 = one hour of home nursing care for one Jack & Jill child.
34) Bealtaine Festival
Join people all over Ireland, taking part in events involving music, art, dance, cinema, writing, theatre, heritage and more during May in the Bealtaine Festival that celebrates the arts and creativity as we age.
This weekend also sees the first Bealtaine @ Temple Bar with a series of arts and cultural events running across Temple Bar’s cultural quarter from the 3rd to the 7th of May. There will be street performances, pop-up choirs and operas, art exhibitions, jazz events, walking tours, talks, movies, Irish language events and workshops
35) Courtmacsherry Seafood Feast
The first ever Courtmacsherry Seafood Feast takes place in the seaside town this Sunday from 12pm to 6pm. The festival will celebrate the rich fishing heritage of the Cork village and showcase the finest local culinary talents.
36) Family Fun Day | Carrowmena Activity Centre
On Sunday from 11am - 4pm you have a chance to try new outdoor activities for the whole family (young and old) at a reduced price. Activities include Zipline / Leap of Faith / Archery / High Rope Course Elements / Orienteering / Inflatables, and more.
37) Donkey Sanctuary | Belfast Spring Fair
On Saturday, the Donkey Sanctuary host free Spring Fair where you can interact with the donkeys, browse the indoor craft market and enjoy a variety of activities for all ages including a raffle, tombola, bouncy slide, face painting and more! Admission and parking are free but need to be booked in advance.
37 Things to Do...go on, get out there.
