There is so much to do in this country, hail rain or shine, and YourDaysOut is bursting with local activities and events from all across the country to keep you and your family entertained.
Wheter it is raining or a beautiful sunny day, you will be spoilt for choice when it comes to entertainment in July and August and we have teamed up with the Sunday World to bring you round-up of local and nationwide events to choose from.
Follow your favourite pages on YourDaysOut to keep up-to-date with events and promotions during the summer. If you are planning your own event, create and sell tickets on YourDaysOut for less than other sites.
10 EVENTS ON IN IRELAND
1) City Spectacular Dublin & City Spectacular Cork
July 6th, 7th, 8th in Dublin and July 14th, 15th in Cork.
Back for the 13th year, the annual Laya Healthcare’s City Spectacular is one of the first signs of summer. Entry is free with fun street performers, family activities, the DSPCA ‘Scruffs dog show and lots more.
July 15th
Bring along your favourite Teddy to Brigit's Garden in Galway for a full day of activities including Teddy Bear Arts & Crafts, Honey Bear Treasure Hunt, Teddy Bear Hospital and lots more fun and games.
3) St.Anne's Park Rose Festival
July 14th & 15th
The festival is a mix of live music Arts and Crafts stalls, plant sales and hot and cold food vendors, the Biodiversity Hub, the Big Dig archaeology workshops and lots more. Add the beautiful surroundings of St Anne’s and you have a unique and special festival weekend.
28th & 29th July
Featuring aircraft from an F-18s to Spitfires and displays from the Irish Air Corps, the Irish Coast Guard and the former Red Arrow pilots’ Blades team. On the ground, there will be a funfair, a food and craft village and Helicopter pleasure flights.
July 29th - August 6th
This is a quirky festival not to be missed, hosting the All Ireland Scarecrow Championships with a week of fun family events, entertainment and lots of different scarecrows!
August 3rd, 4th & 5th
The Spraoi Festival is a free urban festival in Waterford that will attract nearly 100,000 people over the August Bank Holiday weekend. There will be lots of street theatre, art, music and the popular annual parade on Sunday 5th at 9:30 pm.
7) Carlingford Oyster Festival
August 9th - 13th
The Carlingford Oyster Festival is a four-day celebration for the entire family based around local shellfish. As well as tasting the various oysters, chowders and fish on offer in the markets and local restaurants, there will be a fun programme of events including Magic Show, Face Painting, Teddy Bear’s Picnic, Free Kayaking in the Harbour, Children’s Funfair and Bouncing Castles.
8) Puck Fair
August 10th -12th
Each day, a number of Musical, Theatrical and Comedic Street Performances take place at various times and locations throughout the town, providing free entertainment for young and old alike with live concerts every night.
9) Playstival
August 11th & 12th
A new addition to the summer calendar from the Happy Pear team. This two-day festival for children and their parents celebrates play, imagination and fun with a range of hands-on and imaginative games and themed play universes in Airfield Estate.
10) LIttle Festival at the Big House
August 18th & 19th
From puppet making, circus acts and Shakespeare in the Wood to a yummy BBQ and live music there is something for everyone to enjoy! A great way to spend a summer weekend!
10 OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES TO TRY THIS SUMMER
Day adventures in Ireland's biggest aerial park in beautiful Carlingford, County Louth.
Aerial Courses range from 6ft to 40ft high while the whole family can enjoy a day out with activities to suits all ages 4+ with Ziplines, Quazer, Aeroball, FootGolf, Frisbee Golf, Climbing Wall & much more.
2) Waterford Greenway Cycle Tours & Bike Hire
Waterford Greenway Cycle Tours & Bike Hire offer reliable, affordable hire of quality bikes on the Waterford Greenway, the spectacular 46 km cycle route along an old railway line between Waterford City and Dungarvan. They also have three depots on the route with a free shuttle service.
Based in a new centre in Clogherhead they offer a choice of water based activities including canoeing, kayaking, SUP boarding, and land based activities including zorbing, climbing, orienteering, archery, archery tag, team building. A fun summer day out!
The popular water park on Lough Ree is back. Every year they add new sections to the inflatable island with its own jungle, towers, trampolines, slides, water-based obstacle courses and even a castle. Other activities are available too, but do check before you travel as adverse weather can close the park for the day.
5) Westport House & Pirate Adventure Park
Westport House is the west coast of Ireland’s number one destination for family fun, sky-high action and some of the nation’s most awe-inspiring heritage displays. This summer when you buy a ticket to Westport House or Pirate Adventure Park you also get free entry again for a second day!
6) Secret Valley Wildlife Park
Secret Valley Wildlife Park and Zoo in Wexford is fourteen acres of fun for all the family.
They have a full daily timetable of fun activities to keep the children entertained from bottle feeding one of their giddy kid goats, to holding guinea pigs, insects and lizards or a friendly pony ride. There is also indoor and outdoor play areas and you can have a spin in their quad train and.
Set within a huge wooden Viking Fort, Fort Lucan is designed to get children aged between 2 and 12 years back outside, running, jumping and climbing! Try the famous Waterfall waterslide, Raging River or challenge your children to a game of the Viking-Themed Crazy Golf.
Fota Wildlife Park celebrates 35 years with a series of free summer events including outdoor concerts, educational weekends, art workshops, yoga and the Blue Imaginations Playground. These events are in addition to a programme of wildlife talks, feeding times, arts and crafts and face painting held seasonally throughout the Park.
Enjoy a family holiday at Trabolgan Holiday Village. July 13th weekend breaks from only €544, July 16th midweek breaks from only €644. All larger houses now sold out! Book today at trabolgan.com or call +353 (0) 21 466 1551
10) Castlecomer Discovery Park
Set in a stunning 80 acre woodland, Castlecomer Discovery Park has a whole day of fantastic activities for visitors of all ages including Ireland's longest Zipwire, Junior Woodland Adventure Course, Elf & Fairy village, Climbing Wall, Boats & Canoeing and more.
10 INDOOR ACTIVITIES THAT MIGHT COME IN HANDY
One of the most visited attraction in Ireland and it's easy to see why. This is an indoor fun waterpark in Dublin with loads of wild waterslides, a wave pool, a lazy river, a pirate ship for the littles ones and Flow Rider surf machine.
Whatever the Irish weather throws at you this Summer, Leisureplex has all you need for entertainment and fun!
Strike up some craic on the bowling lanes, transport yourself to a galactic battlefield with Q-ZAR, or let the kids wear themselves out in the Zoo Adventureland indoor play centre. Special deals available for Summer Projects. Leisureplex-Entertainment Whatever the Weather!
3) W5, Belfast
The science and discovery centre is well worth the trip as you could easily spend a whole day here. There are over 250 interactive exhibits and this summer you can step into a land that time forgot and meet the most awesome creatures that ever roamed the Earth in their Dinosaur Encounter that runs until August.
4) National Wax Museum Plus, Dublin
Recently reopened in a new venue, the National Wax Museum Plus is more than just wax statues. It is an exciting journey with a modern and interactive take on Irish history and popular culture designed to be a lot of fun.
The Pirates Cove Waterpark features over 200 water gushing activities including the adrenalin pumping Super Bowl speed slide and the incredible gravity-defying Boomerang slide. Funtasia Drogheda isn't just a Waterpark, the centre also has 14 lanes of Egyptian themed bowling, Sky Climbing aerial assault course, Atlantis Cove indoor play area, 12 different birthday party ideas and much much more.
6) National Museums of Ireland
Covering Archaeology, Natural History, Decorative Arts & History in Dublin and Country Life, Co Mayo you'll see collections from prehistoric times to the present day and discover more about the country's heritage. Lots of free events during summer.
7) EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum
EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum is an interactive experience located in Dublin’s Docklands that tells the story of the more than 10 million people who left Ireland over the centuries, bringing visitors on a journey through the Irish emigration experience, exploring why people left and the adventure, adversity and triumph that awaited them.
8) Dublinia
Dublinia is history brought to life in an exciting way for all to engage, learn and share. With four exciting exhibitions, you can visit Viking and Medieval Dublin, see Archaeology as a History Hunter and climb the medieval St Michael’s Tower.
The perfect rainy day out, SEA LIFE, Bray is an aquatic Zoo with 30+ displays which are home to over 1,000 creatures including Black Tip Reef Sharks, Octopus, Seahorses, Stingrays and Red-Bellied Piranha.
Visit SEA LIFE Bray this Summer to take part in LEGO Ocean Explorers, where you can discover curious creatures of the deep as you navigate a trail to find hidden LEGO pieces in the mystery tanks. LEGO Ocean Explorers runs until Sunday, 2nd September.
A unique experience on the stunning Inishowen peninsula, Doagh Famine Village offers a large selection of life size attractions portraying life in Ireland from the 1840s until the present day including The Irish Wake, Orange Hall, Hedge School and a Republican Safe House that the kids will love, if not understand!
Don't forget to leave reviews of any trips on YourDaysOut and have fun!
