Kildare exhibitors get ready for this year’s Bloom Festival
'Bee Happy' Wildlife Garden, by Debbie Brophy, sponsored by 'Super Garden'. Bord Bia Bloom Show Garden
THIS YEAR’S Bloom Festival will see 13 exhibitors from across Kildare participating in the nationwide event.
With a host of new features, expert talks and immersive experiences taking place, Bord Bia Bloom’s landmark 20th year promises five unforgettable days in the Phoenix Park, Dublin.â¯
The festival expects to welcomeâ¯over 100,000 visitorsâ¯over its five days, which will play host toâ¯20â¯spectacular new Show Gardens at the centre of the experience.
There are three designers from Kildare designing at this year’s festival: Joe Eustace from Newbridge, Paul Dunne from Naas and Debbie Brophy, also based in Newbridge.
Joe Eustace will be returning to Bord Bia Bloom to design The ‘Future In Mind’ Garden sponsored by the Mental Health Commission.
Joe, co-founder at Online Garden Designs, won the inaugural Bord Bia Bloom Cultivating Talent programme in 2023, and has participated in Bloom every year since. The garden will embody a shift toward a mental health system that is welcoming, safe, inclusive, and integrated into everyday community life.
Paul Dunne will be co-designing Met Éireann’s 90th Anniversary: Past, Present and Future, garden sponsored by Met Éireann. This garden will invite visitors to explore Ireland’s changing climate, while also paying tribute to those who monitor, interpret, and communicate Ireland’s atmosphere with such dedication. Paul will be creating this garden with his frequent collaborator and fellow landscape designer, Padraic Woods.
The Master Gardener’s Balcony Garden will be designed by Debbie Brophy. It offers a blueprint for gardeners who have downsized from a home with a large garden to an apartment balcony.
Debbie Brophy returns to Bloom this year following her success in Super Garden 2025, where she won the opportunity to design her first Show Garden, the silver medal-winning ‘Bee Happy’ Wildlife Garden.
Green-fingeredâ¯attendeesâ¯can also enjoy the perfectly formed petite Postcard Gardens supported byâ¯Tirlánâ¯CountryLife. Theâ¯Nursery Villageâ¯will welcome four leading plant experts from Kildareâ¯includingâ¯Irish Plants fromâ¯Naas, Nightpark Nursery from Colbinstown, Kilmeague’s Woodview Plants, and The Bee’s Knees, also from Naas.
Attendees can also enjoy live demonstrations and interactive workshops including floral crownâ¯making in the Botanical Hub,â¯and exhibitions of Botanical and Floral Art and AOIFA’s (Association of Irish Floral Artists) Floral Art Competition.â¯
There is much toâ¯enjoyâ¯at this year’s festival, with three indoor restaurants and three outdoor catering areas serving Bord Bia Quality Assured produce, along with the Food Village which features +100 of Ireland’s best artisanal food and drink producers.
Fromâ¯Kildare,â¯Cellbridge’s Rye River Brewing Companyâ¯will beâ¯exhibitingâ¯and launchingâ¯aâ¯brand-newâ¯flavourâ¯of its popularâ¯rangeâ¯. The county will also be represented by Kildare Brewing Company, Lily O’Brien Chocolates, Fused by Fiona, Brady’s Ham, as well as Kiladoon Milk.
‘A Taste of Bloom, curated by Neven Maguire’ is returning to this year’s festival in the flagshipâ¯Garden Viewâ¯Restaurant, featuring a three-course menuâ¯showcasingâ¯some of the finest ingredients from quality Irish producers. The ‘Taste of Bloom’ package is available toâ¯purchaseâ¯on Ticketmaster.â¯
Bord Bia Bloom will take place in the Phoenix Park, Dublin from Thursday, 28 Mayâ¯to Monday, 1 Juneâ¯from 9am-6pm each day. Head to bordbiabloom.com to book your tickets and start planning your visit.â¯â¯ Tickets are priced at €35 per adult, €30 for concessions (plus booking fee). Up to two children aged 16 and under can enter for free with every adult ticket (additionalâ¯child tickets €5 (plus booking fee).
