It's the first week of the school summer holidays and there are plenty of fun things to do this weekend throughout Ireland.
Westport House hosts a fun family event this weekend. Start the run dressed in white and run, dance, walk, or bounce through the fun route featuring colour stations and designated inflatables for adults and children alike,
Over 200,000 people will descend on Ballina over the next week to enjoy the events in the 53rd Salmon Festival. The event runs from July 6th - July 16th with events this weekend including Children's Fun Sports Day, Fun & Splash Swimming & Art Creation through recycling on Monday.
West Cork Chamber Music Festival
A varied programme that includes concerts, talks and workshops from Friday, 30th June to Sunday, 8th July. There will also be Fringe Festival to bring this world class music for free out into the community for non-festival goers to experience and enjoy.
Running all week, the Ennis Street Arts Festival concludes on July 9th.
Free family events include a kids disco on Barrack Street on 8th July, Jason Maverick's high-energy street entertainment on the 7th and 8th July with Dancing In The Street and a Duck Race on the final day.
Natural History Museum of Ireland
Summer is here and the National Museums of Ireland have a full and fun programme of events. Pick up a Sun Activity Sheet in the Natural History Museum and follow the activity sheet trail to find out which animals live in the sea and which live in the sun!
You can also find out the Record Breakers this Saturday at 2:15 pm & 3:30pm. What animals are the biggest, fastest and smelliest in the animal kingdom? No booking is required but places limited and allocated on a first-come basis 15 minutes before tour starts.
Volvo Dún Laoghaire Regatta 2017
Four days of open-sea racing by Irish and international teams in one of the most picturesque areas of Dublin Bay. There will be up to 470 boats; cruisers, keelboats and dinghies from all over the UK and Ireland in the water over the weekend.
However, the fun is not confined to the seas and a trip to the Regatta will mean a fun crowd, great food, music, entertainment and family events all along the harbour.
The Annual Kilmore Quay Seafood Festival takes place from Thursday 6th to Sunday 9th July 2017.
Celebrate summer with delicious seafood platters, fishing and lots of fun activities for all the family. Events include a Family Fun Day on the Little Beach adjacent to the Marina Teddy Bear's Picnic at Shipwreck Cove Playground, Live Music, Céilí Mór and Sea Kayaking on the ‘Little Beach’ as well as lots of fresh local seafood.
Limerick Racecourse host another of their popular summer family fun race days this Sunday.
The fun starts at 1.30pm and there is a total of seven races on the card.
This will also be loads of free entertainment, along with free admission for children under twelve, including Pony Rides, Face Painting, Balloon Modelling, Kiddie discos, Onsite playground, Bumper Soccer, Arts & Crafts and Bouncy castles and obstacles.
A programme of events in Tipperary from July 3rd - July 9th, including live music, theatre, street performance, comedy, visual art, food events and much much more.There are Lego Workshops this weekend and also free family fun days in Kickham Barracks this Saturday and Sunday from 1pm -5pm featuring food, music, balloon art and lots more.
The Dubai Duty-Free Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation will take place for the first time at Portstewart Golf Club from July 4-9, 2017.
Rory McIlroy will defend his title as the Irish Open heads to Northern Ireland for the third time in six years. Located just down the road from where the sell-out Irish Open took place at Royal Portrush in 2012, The European Tour is bringing one of its most popular tournaments back with large crowds expected to turn out to support the event once again.
The annual Barretstown Big Picnic takes place on Saturday 8th July 2017 from 11 am – 5 pm and everyone is invited to go along.
The Big Picnic is set to be an action-packed day of serious fun activities. Fossett’s Circus will perform three live shows during the day (booking in advance) and there will be plenty of other activities including Crazy Golf, Canoeing, Bouncy Castles, Pony Rides, Petting Farm and much more.
Carrickroe Welcome Home Festival
The 24th Carrickroe Welcome Home Festival takes place from 6th-9th of July. There will be lots of live music and entertainment throughout the weekend with a fun family day in the field on Sunday featuring a parade, tractor run, Murray amusements, dog and cat shows and much more.
The bilingual arts festival which starts this week throughout County Donegal and continues until July 23rd. There will be two weeks of music, theatre, visual arts, film, literature, circus & carnival on Ireland’s North West Atlantic seaboard. Family shows include the Merman's Tale, Guido Fanzini’s Impossible Circus and Kila Kids.
Laya Healthcare's City Spectacular
The free family festival runs over three days in Dublin this weekend, before moving to Cork, showcasing the best in international street performance, interactive family activations and workshops, delicious artisan producers and street food from around the world as well as a pet wellness area with D.S.P.C.A.
The festival is celebrating its 12th year and has a fun programme of fun activities including the Imaginosity, Dublin Children's Museum, Kids Court and O'Egg Fun on the Farm.
The festival’s annual giant garden party – PARKFEST – marks the start of Cairde on Sunday 9th June with a day-long FREE celebration in Sligo’s Peace Park featuring aerial performances by The Barren Carousel and Acro Aer Sligo; street performance by Cillian Rogers of the Workhouse Studios, arts activities for kids, graffiti and circus workshops; local arts, craft and food stalls serving a range of delicious goods where the emphasis is on local.
A fun family day out, in aid of St. Francis Hospice on Saturday, July 8th in association with Dublin City Council and the Dublin Fire Brigade Service.
The event takes place at Kilbarrack Fire Station and will include face painting, music and refreshments.
The Defence Forces Open Day takes place on the grounds of Farmleigh House on Sunday, July 9th.
There will be vintage vehicles, weapons displays, a parachute display, unarmed combat demonstrations, demonstrations from the Army, Air Corps & Naval Service, unarmed combat demonstrations, Army Brass and Pipeband recitals, the Irish President's motorcycle escort.
