Festivals

Dublin City is a very popular venue for all kinds of festivals. This is mainly because it is a capital city, with a large population and is an international tourist destination.

Dublin is now equipped to host a wide variety of festivals, especially in the area of film and theatre. For example, the Dublin Theatre Festival can take advantage of the number of theatres sprinkled throughout the city.

Lets look at some of these festivals in greater detail.

The Dublin International Film Festival takes place each spring in venues across the city. It has been running since 2003 and lasts for roughly 10 days. It has replaced the Dublin Film Festival, which ran each year between 1985 and 2001.

Each year, the festival shows over 100 films from all across the world and many of the actors involved attend and answer questions from the public.

The festival also has its own award, called the Voltas. The Volta was Ireland's first cinema and opened in December 1909 as a result of efforts by James Joyce. They are presented to people who have made significant contributions within the film industry. In 2007, winners included the actor Gabriel Byrne and The Irish Times film critic Michael Dwyer.

The St. Patrick's Festival is held annually in Dublin to celebrate Ireland's national holiday - St. Patrick's Day. Every March, Dublin hosts this four day festival of music, fireworks, carnivals and of course the St. Patrick's Day Parade on the 17th March.

The festival first took place in 1996 but only lasted for just one day. By the following year it had become a three-day festival and in 2001, over 1.2 million people attended the event.