Limerick offers a lively mix of culture and history, and nowhere is that more evident than in the range of festivals and events it has lined up for 2012. The people of Limerick city and county go out of their way to welcome visitors, so what better way to enjoy their hospitality than to come along to one of these celebrations they have lined up for you?!
Bloomsday in Bruff Festival
Wednesday 13th - Sunday 17th June
Bruff, County Limerick
This festival celebrates James Joyce’s novel Ulysses with a varied programme of lectures, drama, music, and fun. Join locals and visitors and dress up in 1904 outfits, attend the pre-Bloomsday concert, try the famous Butcher Boys cycle event, and relish the free barbecue.
Lough Gur Summer Solstice 2012
Thursday 21st - Sunday 24th June
Lough Gur, County Limerick
Lough Gur Summer Solstice 2012 is a fun weekend of entertainment incorporating local drama and music, children’s events, traditional skittles, live music, kayaking, and a family day on the shores of enchanting Lough Gur. Celebrate the longest day of the year with bouncy castles, pony rides, and Stone-Age pageants from Legion Ireland, a professional re-enactment group.
Passionately interested local guides will lead walks of Lough Gur exploring life more than five millennia ago.
Limerick Bike Parade 2012
Sunday June 24th, 12pm - 5pm
King John’s Castle, King’s Island, Limerick
Limerick Bike Parade is all about highlighting cycling as a healthy leisure activity and a smarter travel choice in the city. This fun event is suitable for participants of all ages and fitness levels and offers prizes for the best-dressed cyclists (and bicycles!).
Rocky Mayhem Festival 2012
Friday 29th June - Monday 2nd July
McCarthy’s Courtyard, Kilfinane, Co. Limerick
Featuring acts such as Royseven, Ham Sandwich, and country legend Jimmy Buckley, the Rocky Mayhem is a competitively priced music festival that celebrates Indie, country, disco, and rock music. With tickets for the five-band opening concert priced at €20, this is an event for all budgets and broad musical tastes.
National Hunt Racing
Sunday 8th July
Limerick Racecourse, Patrickswell, County Limerick
This racing festival incorporates seven National Hunt Races. Enjoy it all from the comfort of the Panoramic Restaurant, which offers great views of the track and the surrounding countryside.
Pig ‘n’ Porter Tag Rugby Festival
Saturday 14th July
Old Crescent RFC, Rosbrien, County Limerick
The world’s largest tag rugby festival sees hundreds of fit male and female players experiencing the best tag rugby has to offer at the Pig ‘n’ Porter Tag Festival.
Involving 120 teams from Ireland and Europe, the hugely enjoyable festival is staged at two venues and 24 pitches. Games over, the participants enjoy a fabulous barbecue - hence the pig and the porter!
Eva International
19th May to 12th August 2012
Limerick City Gallery of Art and various city locations
The 35th staging of this art exhibition, curated by Annie Fletcher, embraces the theme After the Future. Artworks will explore how specific artistic practices represent an active invocation of the present and consider how we arrived here in the first place.
Limerick Pride Festival
Saturday 1st September to Sunday 9th September 2012
Events for Limerick Pride will run all week, with the annual Pride Parade taking place on Saturday September 8th.
Bag a Bargain for Africa
13th October @ 7.00pm
Strand Hotel, Ennis Rd, Limerick
Pick up a pretty purse for a pittance and raise money for Self Help Africa. Participants can enjpy a glass of bubbly, some cupcakes and light jazz while browsing through range of designer bags. Tickets available from gaye.moore:selfhelpafrica.org €10 and students €5.
The Moscow Ballet Production of Swan Lake
Friday 19th October @ 8pm
University Concert Hall, Castletroy, Limerick
The Moscow Ballet will perform Tchaikovsky’s first ballet, ‘Swan Lake, a perennial favourite with ballet lovers that tells the story of Prince Siegfried and Princess Odette.
