Biodiversity, climate action, and mental health are some of the main themes at this year's Bloom festival, which is under way in Dublin's Phoenix Park.
Around 100,000 visitors are expected to attend the gardening, food, and sustainability event, which is sponsored by Bord Bia, over the next five days.
This year, Bloom is the first event in Ireland to achieve ISO 20121:2024 accreditation for event sustainability.
Among the headline show gardens this year are ones celebrating Ireland's EU presidency, as well as a sculptural garden to mark Bloom’s 20th anniversary, and another celebrating 90 years of Met Éireann.
There are also a number of health-focused gardens exploring mental health care and cancer awareness, as well as a garden highlighting organic farming.
'Postcard gardens' created by community groups from across the country feature themes such as boglands and prison rehabilitation.
For the first time in 2026, there is also be an Irish plant showcase and a wellness village on the 70-acre site.
President Catherine Connolly, a patron of Bloom, officially opened the event.
Tickets are available online from €30 (plus a Ticketmaster fee), however, the price of a standard adult ticket at the gate this year costs €40, compared to €25 when Bloom started 20 years ago.
A spokesperson for the event said organisers have "worked very hard over the past two decades to keep pricing as accessible and reasonable as possible, despite significant increases in event-delivery costs across the sector".
They also said the show has doubled in size in that time, and that "Bloom’s concession ticket pricing this year reflects the same phased pricing structure used across most major live events and festivals, where tickets are more affordable the earlier they are purchased.
Last December, tickets for this year's festival were available to buy for €20.
Bloom organisers say the event "continues to offer strong value compared with similar large-scale events both domestically and internationally, with comparable gardening shows in the UK (e.g., Chelsea) starting from over £120 per ticket".
The event runs from 9am to 6pm daily until Monday, 1 June.
'Twenty years ago, it was just an idea', says Bord Bia CEO
Bord Bia CEO Jim O'Toole said that Bloom keeps growing in popularity.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said it has developed into one of the biggest outdoor events in the country, having started out 20 years ago as "just an idea".
"Twenty years ago, the show gardens were contained in the walled garden here beside the visitor centre... we now have a 70-acre site.
"It has absolutely transformed the show. It was started as a small collection of show gardens. Now it is an experience, a festival of sustainable living, of gardening, of garden design, of the food industry coming together and showing what they have on offer."
Mr O'Toole said that during Covid people "focused on their own private spaces", adding that "gardening and wellness and living and sustainable living all became so important for people".
"Bloom has recognition around the country. If you go to any part of Ireland and mention Bloom, people, I think, have an understanding of what it is.
"Twenty years ago, of course, it was just an idea."
