I wasn’t able to make it along to Bloom in the Park over the weekend, so my heavily pregnant sister Barbara kindly agreed to take my press pass and bring along her husband Keith and their little boy Dylan. Here’s her feedback.
What was good about it?
Lots of decent value options for food, and an abundance of coffee and ice cream vans. Plenty of seats so people could enjoy their lunch without having to stand over a bin.
Some very good stalls, particularly in the crafts section.
Beautiful show gardens, flowers and plants, as well as some great deals for the house. Barbs and Keith picked up granite for their garden at €4.50 per square metre. Elsewhere, they’d received quotes of €7.50 per square metre.
Storytime for kids went down a treat with the little ones.
The Bord Bia gardens were hugely impressive, with a bumper crop of fresh and attractive vegetables on show. My little nephew Dylan really enjoyed the animal farm,which featured pigs, chickens, cows, and sheep.
Photo: Keith Moran
What was bad about it?
The crowds: pushing, heaving, unrelenting. This year’s 90,000 visitors were all there because Bloom has, rightfully, become enormously popular. But it risks becoming a victim of its own success. Getting near most of the food sellers was almost impossible, unless you were prepared to fight your way in.
The crowds: on the Saturday, some of the gardens were surrounded by three layers of people. Barbs and Keith wanted to see more of the Japanese garden, but they couldn’t get near and so the gardener lost a potential customer.
Ticket prices: Up to €20 per ticket – plus €5 for the car park – is a fair amount of money for an event that’s largely composed of stalls where you can buy things, including food, gardens, and crafts. If you got an online ticket (€15) or a concession (€10-13), you’ll have found a much better deal. Still, the large crowds suggest that people are more than willing to pay it.
All in all, Barbs and Keith had a really enjoyable day, and spent much more time at Bloom than they had planned. Maybe it’s not possible, but if there’s any way of using more of the Phoenix Park or, for instance, having a larger food producers tent, this might reduce the crush at this increasingly popular event next year.
