Calling all fashion, food, flower and music lovers! Following the huge success of last year’s Summertime Festival, Kildare Village will toast our favourite season with an even bigger and better series of original festival experiences to cater for every age and taste.
‘Chic Summer Festival’, which takes place from Thursday 5th until Sunday 29th July will see Kildare Village be transformed into a beautiful garden of delights where visitors will enjoy a series of exciting experiences including: bespoke floral couture installations, musical performances, an artisan food pop up and a Heritage & Genealogy trail.
Launching the festival this year is English model and DJ Daisy Lowe who will kick of the festivities on Thursday 5th July at a chic afternoon event hosted in Kildare Village. With a love for fashion and festivals, Daisy commented that “Kildare Village is the perfect stop for me to enjoy music, food and entertainment this July”.
Make Kildare Village your ultimate day out destination for shopping, entertainment and culture this summer, while exploring the best the Thoroughbred County has to offer throughout the season.
Festival Highlights
To capture the essence of Chic Summer Festival, Kildare Village will showcase a unique floral couture catwalk created using some of the beautiful flowers of the season. The Floral Couture installation will be curated by international award-winning florist Joe Massie. Largely regarded as the most talented florist of his generation, Joe boasts a host of international accolades and awards and recently became the first floral designer to win Gold at the 2012 Chelsea Flower Show for the fourth consecutive year. His must-see floral catwalk will be on display throughout the festival providing visitors with the opportunity to see “living couture” with three unique floral muses using fashionable flowers from local gardens and meadows. Joe will also host floral masterclasses during the festival, learn how to create the perfect posy using the best of Irish summer flowers.
For foodies, Good Food Ireland will be tantalising taste buds with a pop-up presence at Kildare Village every weekend throughout the festival. Dine around Ireland from the smorgasbord of regional specialty dishes from Ireland’s top restaurants, hotels, cookery schools and food producers.
The Chic Summer charity partner this year is Ireland’s oldest and most well-known children’s charity, the ISPCC. Visitors to the Village throughout July will be able to buy a bespoke floral creation with all proceeds donated to the worthy charity.
Chic Summer Festival at Kildare Village will also include a series of boutique open air summer concerts, offering visitors to Kildare Village a unique and diverse musical experience every weekend in July. On July 20th and 21st members of the Irish Chamber Orchestra will delight audiences with a repertoire of summer favourites’. Also, there will also be live sets from fashion blogging DJ Alex Donald who will bring a cool, chic, vibe to the open air promenades of Kildare Village.
Expect the unexpected at this year’s Chic Summer Festival with impromptu theatrical performances including a parade of butterflies that will flutter their oversized wings throughout the Village. In addition, there will be lots of garden themed fun for kids every weekend of the festival.
A must see at the Chic Summer Festival is the beautiful ballet performance inspired by the birds of summer and choreographed by Muirne Bloomer of “The Ballet Ruse”, one of Ireland’s freshest and original performers and choreographers.
Every Friday during Chic Festival, tourists can join a Heritage & Genealogy Trail where they will discover the fascinating heritage of Kildare Town, one of the oldest towns in Ireland. Visitors will be guided by a local historian from the Heritage Centre in Kildare Town and can explore St. Brigid’s Cathedral, The Round Tower, the site of a Norman Castle and three medieval Abbeys including the 13thcentury Grey Abbey ruins at Kildare Village. After the trail, visitors who wish to trace their Irish ancestry can continue their journey back in time with a special consultation from the Irish Family History Foundation at Kildare Village. Due to expected demand, booking your Heritage & Genealogy Trail in advance is advised. For more details see www.kildarevillage.com
And of course there’s the chic shopping, which at Kildare Village is unrivalled. With over 60 designer boutiques offering authentic previous seasons’ collections from luxury fashion and lifestyle brands with savings of up to 70% on the recommended retail price, and sometimes more, all year round, you’re guaranteed to come home a happy shopper.
Kildare Village is open seven days a week and will and has late night shopping on Thursday, Friday (8pm) and Saturday until 7pm.
Log on to www.kildarevillage.com for more details on Chic Summer Festival at Kildare Village