A four-day festival celebrating Irish writer and creator of Count Dracula, Bram Stoker, is kicking off its 2022 edition tomorrow.
Coming back after a two-year hiatus, the Bram Stoker Festival promises to cater for both children and adults with several events and activities taking place in Dublin, drawing inspiration from Stoker, his life, his work and the Dublin.
It will also generally celebrate all things Gothic, the supernatural, the after-dark and the Victorian.
Events and activities kick off tomorrow and continue until 31 October.
Some of the highlights include Borealis, a light and sound installation which will bring the experience of an aurora borealis to Dublin Castle's Upper Courtyard every night of the festival. Its lush visuals and soundscape utterly transforms the sky above your head and time seems to slow down as you gaze at the mesmerising lights in a breath-taking experience of true awe and wonder.
Stokerland is the festival's annual pop-up Victorian fun park, and it will open its gates from Saturday. It is free to enter and filled with deadly adventures, as well as the talents of world-class street performers, lawn games, face-painting and a programme of performances.
Bram Stoker and the Haunted Library is an after-hours tour of Marsh's Library - one of Ireland's creepiest public buildings which first opened to the public in 1707. Bram Stoker read there as a teenager, and the tour will showcase some of the materials he consulted on witchcraft and astrology.
A Motherfoclóir Live Podcast will also take place on Saturday, delving into the work that went into translating Dracula into Irish. In this event, Darach Ó Séaghdha and Peadar Ó Caomhánaigh from the Motherfoclóir Podcast and Siún Ní Dhuinn from RTÉ’s Beo Ar Éigean podcast explain why this book was chosen, the fascinating translation decisions made with the text… as well as sharing a few spooky Irish words and where they came from!
For a full schedule of events taking place across the weekend, visit https://www.bramstokerfestival.com/schedule/
