A free street festival this September lets you travel the world and experience an amazing variety of cultures in the heart of Dublin’s Smithfield.
Festival. It’s a far-reaching description for a variety of events – we’re fresh (or not so fresh) from a summer of music and arts festivals and September has provided us with a theatre fest, a fringe fest and a literary fest to boot. Next on the list is the BlueFire Street Fest which takes place on Saturday, 20th September in Smithfield Square.
So what’s this one all about? BlueFire will let you travel the world in just 80 steps in the heart of Dublin. How? The organisers have put together a truly diverse lineup of artists, musicians and street performers from around the world, to celebrate different walks of life and the different cultures that share this same city.
The main stage features acclaimed world-music bands from Dublin including the Irish/Polish band, Mutefish; Dublin Afrobeat Ensemble, a 14 strong outer-national group of Afrobeat exponents from the four corners of the world; and Tig Linn, the band who performed for Obama. The North Strand Kontra band formed on the Northside of Dublin is an instrumental band who play a mix of original and traditional material influenced predominantly by the music of Romania and Bulgaria. The Manden Express is another international fusion of traditional and contemporary styles of West African music and Afrobeat rhyhms. The aim of BlueFire is to bring ‘something different’ to the music scene and this lineup sounds about right.
As well as world music, street performers and art workshops expect some unusual events in the programme. The Community Foundation for Ireland is hosting its first ever ‘VitalTalks’ at the festival – a platform for 18-25 year olds to share their experiences of life as a young person today. There will also be language workshops and African dancing, drumming, salsa, capoeira, lessons to make your own dreadlocks, and a graffiti jam.
For nourishment there’s a craft and food market as well as lots to keep younger festival goers entertained. Just bring your open mind.
And about the organisers: BlueFire Dublin is a non-profit social enterprise that aims to facilitate social and intercultural integration through music and the arts. Its vision is to help bolster the interaction, experience, and integration opportunities for young people in Dublin through intercultural arts and music events.
BlueFire Street Fest takes place on 20th September 2014, from 12 midday – 10pm
CONTACT DETAILS
Smithfield Plaza
Smithfield
Dublin 7
All images courtesy BlueFire Dublin
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