Bord Bia Bloom will open its annual five-day festival for its 16th year from Thursday, 2nd June to Monday, 6th June, running from 9am to 6pm.

This year's show will incorporate 19 show gardens and 9 postcard gardens, over 80 Irish food and drink producers, 17 nurseries with Floral Marquee, more than 25 cookery demonstrations and some 130 retailers - all within a 73 acre site in Dublin's Phoenix Park.

With 115,000 attending the event in 2019, and with President Michael D. Higgins formally open the annual event for a 10th year on Thursday morning, it's a good idea to get yourself prepped ahead of the annual flower extravaganza.

RTÉ lyric fm
Take a break from the crowds and the sun (or rain), and sit your self down to some fabulous live radio.

Over three days from our special RTÉ stage, RTÉ lyric fm’s Marty Whelan, Lorcan Murray and George Hamilton will be joined by the ever-popular RTÉ lyric fm Quartet, along with RTÉ Radio 1’s Countrywide.

Bloom favourite Marty Whelan will kick off RTÉ's live coverage on Thursday morning, with the first of RTÉ lyric fm’s live broadcasts from Bloom with Marty in the Morning at 10.00am. This will be followed by two performances from the RTÉ lyric fm Quartet at 1.30pm and 3.30pm.

The RTÉ lyric fm Quartet will return on Friday for two one-hour live performances at 11.00am and 1.30pm, before Lorcan Murray brings the second day of the festival to a close with Classic Drive live from the set from 3.00pm – 6.00pm.

On Saturday, RTÉ Radio 1’s Countrywide will get things off to an early start at 8.00am, followed by George Hamilton from 10.00am – 1.00pm live from Bloom and on RTÉ lyric fm. The RTÉ lyric fm Quartet will return on Saturday for two final one-hour live performances at 2.30pm and 4.00pm to entertain visitors to the festival.

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The superb gardens
Organisations such as Croí, Peter McVerry Trust, Enable Ireland and the National Dairy Council have teamed up with garden designers to create gardens with powerful messages around social and cultural issues.

Sustainable food production, climate change, biodiversity, housing and the importance of outdoor spaces for physical and mental health are some key themes at this year's show.

Not only that, flower fans can take a peek into Super Garden judge and Woodie's gardening expert Brian Burke's 'Seomra Eile' (Another Room) garden.

Over the past two years, people have found a new appreciation for their outdoor spaces, something that Brian taps into with his soothing garden design which depicts how a garden can be an extension of a home.

Additionally, Super Garden fans will have the opportunity to see the 2022 Super Garden winner's show garden for themselves.

Irish produce
Bord Bia originally created Bloom to promote Irish plants, garden design, horticulture, and gardening as a hobby, and the organisation's role in promoting food and drink has allowed the show to develop further.

This year, more than 90 food producers will be showcasing the best of local, expertly crafted produce in the Food Village, while the Bloom Inn will have a sample of craft brews and spirits from all over the country.

Talks and demonstrations
As well as housing 130 retailers and some 50 floral and botanical art displays, 19 show gardens, 9 postcard gardens and over 80 food and drink producers, Bloom will host over 100 live talks, demonstrations and family-friendly activities.

Over on the Quality Kitchen stage, there will be appearances from some well-known faces from the culinary world, bringing you their favourite recipes. Rory O’Connell, Fiona Uyema, Neven Maguire and Edward Hayden will be covering everything from seasonal summer recipes, to inspiration for dining with friends and family.

Over in the Eat Well Kitchen and Garden, there will be demos from dietitian Lauren Arthurs on the benefits of fruit and vegetables for digestive health. Chefs Mark Murphy and Erica Drum will focus on recipes using in-season Irish fruits and vegetables including strawberries, potatoes, kale, cauliflower and spinach.

On Thursday, Fíann O'Nuallain, The Holistic Gardener, Niall Hatch from Birdwatch Ireland, and Gerry Daly and Mary Keenan from The Irish Garden Magazine will head to the Garden and Sustainable Living stage to share accessible tips on a variety of topics.

MyWaste.ie will have three brand ambassadors attending its feature on opening day for photography and videography: Culinary Director @FoodSpace Conor Spacey, Ecologist Anja Murray and gardener Marie Staunton at a photocall and videography from 1:30pm –4:30pm on Thursday.

Fun facts about Bloom:

  • It takes 12 months to plan Bloom and seven long weeks to build the site
  • Each show garden takes at least one month to construct
  • 700 people are involved in building Bloom
  • Thee is 3.6 kilometres of trackway and 1 kilometre of walkway across the 73 acre site
  • A total of 4,000 people will work onsite over the 5 days, including 200 volunteers
  • It will take 14 days to clear the Bloom site