Events To Check Out This Bank Holiday – 23rd to 27th October

emmakenneally

The Bank Holiday weekend is almost upon up us, and Dublin city does not disappoint with the amount of incredible events on this weekend. If you’re getting into the Halloween mood then just as well, as there are plenty of spooky events taking place around the city. Read on for our top picks this weekend…

Bram Stoker Festival

The Bram Stoker Festival returns to Dublin this Halloween to celebrate the legacy of Dublin’s finest gothic novelist, Bram Stoker and his most infamous work, Dracula. This year the festival intends to infiltrate the very crevices of the city, awakening the dormant gothic that sleeps in the heart of Dublin. Last year’s festival saw more than 20,000 visitors from near and far descend upon the city for a weekend of wickedly good fun. The festival starts tomorrow and runs until Monday.

Whether you’re a resident vampire or visiting from further afield, the Bram Stoker Festival has something for everyone in its spooktacular programme of events!

Chilli Con Carnivale 2014

Presenting Portobello’s greatest chilli based charity fundraiser at the Bernard Shaw… If you like eating spicy food and watching people eat food so hot they have to take off their clothes and pass out then don’t miss this. It’s a fiver for a generous bowl of chilli, with all proceeds going to Roddy Doyle’s charity, Fighting Words, an organisation that promotes literacy. There’ll be plenty of fun & games throughout the day, and chilli eating competitions for those hungry to claim the title of Chilli Champion. The festival takes place from 2pm on Saturday and entry is free.

Run for Your Lives

This is a properly scary and athletic event for the Halloween season. Take on the spine-tingling apocalyptic zombie-infested 5km run at the haunted (temporarily at least) Malahide Castle. The route is laced with a series of demanding natural and man-made obstacles, participants assume the role of Survivor or one of The Infected, a dreaded Zombie, in this gothic cat-and-mouse chase. A must for any would-be adrenaline-junkie, thrill-seeking horror movie-athletes. Takes place on Sunday 26th in Malahide Castle.

Body & Soul: The Shapeshifters Ball

An intimate, slightly twisted, gothic-themed soirée in the unique surroundings of the Irish Museum of Modern Art. This will be one dark, stylish affair, and you can expect the creatives at Body & Soul to have plenty of tricks up their sleeves throughout the night. With a top notch lineup with the likes of East India Youth, Téada Orchestra and Simon Bird (but to name a few!) this will be a happening like no other. Takes place on Saturday at 7pm, tickets €40.

Cook For A Vampire

Squiddly Beefheart, Chilli-chocolate chicken hearts, Shitake Cupcakes and a variety of bloodcakes… Dublin is going gothic this October bank holiday weekend for the annual Bram Stoker Festival. The Dark Energy programme offers an eclectic mix of unusual events for curious culture hunters and the quirky trendsetters including; Blood and Earth, an interactive food cookery demo with Domestic Godless. You will be guided through recipes that stretch the imagination beyond the familiar seasonal fare, to produce dishes to discomfort friends and family.

The class takes place in Cooks Academy on Saturday at 12.30pm and 3.30pm. Tickets cost €25 and can be booked here.