Ireland’s biggest gardening, food and sustainable living festival returns to the Phoenix Park tomorrow – and for its 20th birthday, Bord Bia Bloom is going bigger than ever.
Running from Thursday, May 28th to Monday, June 1st, this year’s festival promises five packed days of gardens, food, talks, live demos and feel-good inspiration, with approximately 100,000 visitors expected through the gates.
Garden preview
Visitors can expect 20 headline show gardens tackling everything from biodiversity and climate action to mental health, wellbeing and the circular economy.
This year’s standout spaces include:
- A garden to celebrate Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, featuring a tree to represent each member state.
- A sculptural garden marking Bloom’s 20th anniversary and another celebrating 90 years of Met Éireann.
- Creative balcony gardens packed with ideas for small-space living, urban wildlife and a birdwatcher’s paradise!
- Health focused gardens exploring mental health care and cancer awareness.
- A ‘Celebrity Dream Garden’ inspired by Brendan Courtney
- A garden highlighting the benefits of organic farming.
- The eagerly awaited Super Garden winner and a vivid orange Minions garden!
- The much-loved Postcard Gardens also return, with community stories at the centre. Themes range from bees, bats and boglands to prison rehabilitation, mental health and local connection – including a GAA club garden built around the simple ritual of sharing a cup of tea.
What’s new for 2026
Alongside returning favourites, Bloom is introducing:
- The Meaghers 360 Wellness Village
- A brand-new Irish plant showcase
- Eight first-time garden designers
- Expanded sustainability programming and demonstrations
Big names across the festival
The line-up this year includes: Diarmuid Gavin, Donal Skehan, Neven Maguire, Adam Frost (BBC Gardener’s World), Rory O’Connell, Catherine Fulvio, Brendan Courtney, Laura Dowling and many more.
The President of Ireland, and Bloom Patron, Catherine Connolly will officially open the festival on Thursday morning. An Taoiseach Michael Martin is due on Friday.
Bloom in numbers
- 700+ people involved in the build across seven weeks
- 70-acre festival site in the Phoenix Park
- 20 spectacular Show Gardens; 14 postcard gardens and 17 plant nurseries will be judged by 13 Irish expert judges. Medal winners will be revealed tomorrow morning just before the gates open to the public at 9am.
- 300+ live performances, talks and demos
- 100+ artisan food and drink producers
- 25 live cookery demonstrations
- 17 plant nurseries and dozens of expert-led showcases
Sustainability front and centre
Bloom has long championed sustainable living, but 2026 marks a major milestone: the festival has become the first event in Ireland to achieve ISO 20121:2024 accreditation for event sustainability.
Visitors can expect practical ideas for greener living throughout the site, from talks and workshops to low-impact initiatives woven into the festival experience itself. Attendees are encouraged to engage with sustainability initiatives throughout the event in order to reduce environmental impact.
Need to know
- Open daily from 9am–6pm
- Free shuttle buses every 10 minutes from 7am-7pm from Parkgate Street beside Heuston Station
- Tickets from €33 (+ booking fee)
- Two children under 16 go free with every adult ticket
- For the full programme visit Bord Bia Bloom or follow @bordbiabloom.
Photo caption
Bord Bia Bloom 2026 opens tomorrow, May 28th, for its landmark 20th year, with five days of gardens, food and sustainable living experiences running until June 1st. More at bordbiabloom.com
