School’s Out for Summer

For one night only the great musical talent from Newbridge’s Secondary Schools come together to kick off June Fest 2024!

Join us for student band performances which will cover cover all genres  in this exciting new addition to the community arts festival.

Tickets €10

Book Here

From Ballymany to Buckleys Cross - the Newbridge Sculpture Trail

FREE TALK by Pat Byrne

Come along to the Newbridge Parish Centre to learn from Pat Byrne about some of the most recognisable local sculptures in this talk entitled ‘From Ballymany to Buckleys Cross - the Newbridge Sculpture Trail’.

Hear about the history of the sculptures, their creators and what they represent in a fascinating evening of discovery.

All are welcome at the opening of June Fest ‘24 in the Whitewater Shopping Centre which will also feature the opening of the South Kildare Photography Club’s Who Is Newbridge exhibition and ‘What Newbridge Means to Me’ postcard displays.

Let’s get Quizzical

Head to the Town Hall for a fun night of general knowledge and great craic hosted by the Newbridge Family Resource Centre with all funds being raised on their behalf.

Your chance to be crowned June Fest ’24 Quiz Champions!

€50 for tables of up to 5 people

For more information on the brilliant work of the Newbridge Family Resource Centre - https://www.newbridgefrc.ie/

Generously sponsored by Life Credit Union, Newbridge Festival of Dance is a new two-day dance festival celebrating all styles of dance and culture, and all abilities of dancers.

A packed schedule of events that includes line dancing, jive, Irish set dancing, Bharatanatyam (the oldest classical dance tradition in India) to name just a few.

Follow Newbridge Festival of Dance on Facebook for updates and a full list of performances will be published here once the two-day schedule is confirmed.

Join Able Bodies Physiotherapy Clinic for an introduction to Pilates. Suitable for all fitness abilities, learn about stretching and strengthening in this fun free event. Please bring your own mat and water.

Meet at the Strand, Linear Park, by the Outdoor Gym.

Free Event

For more information on Pilates - https://www.ablebodies.ie/pilates/

Music by Music Generation Kildare

While the St Mark’s School Duck race is being staged on the River Liffey, Music Generation Kildare will be providing free musical entertainment beside the riverbank in the Linear Park.

Music Generation Kildare provides music performance opportunities and music classes throughout the county. Music Generation is a national partnership programme whose mission is to create inspiring experiences for children and young people through music with the aim to make sure that everyone, whatever their background, gets access to music tuition.

More information can be found here - https://www.musicgeneration.ie/

Music Generation Kildare is managed by Kildare Local Music Education Partnership, led by Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board in partnership with Kildare County Council and with support from Maynooth University Department of Music and Centre for Teaching and Learning.

St. Mark’s School Duck Race

The Staff of St. Mark’s School return with their annual duck race fund-raiser on the Liffey at Linear Park.

Sponsor a duck and be in with a chance to win a prize. Live music from Music Generation Kildare.

Generously sponsored by Life Credit Union, Newbridge Festival of Dance is a new two-day dance festival celebrating all styles of dance and culture, and all abilities of dancers.

A packed schedule of events that includes line dancing, jive, Irish set dancing, Bharatanatyam (the oldest classical dance tradition in India) to name just a few.

Follow Newbridge Festival of Dance on Facebook for updates https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555667849570 and a full list of performances will be published here once the two-day schedule is confirmed.

Join us for an exhilarating morning of creativity from 10am to 12pm with Reza from The White Box Gallery, Naas, for our June Fest ‘Art in the Park’ event,

Whether you're a budding enthusiast or an experienced artist, this one-of-a-kind open-air painting session might be for you.  Embrace the opportunity to unleash your inner artist amidst the picturesque outdoors.

Never painted before? Fear not! This is your chance to dive into the colourful world of art. For beginners, just bring yourself, for seasoned painters, simply bring your paints, and we'll take care of the rest.

Hurry! There are only 15 spots available (there is a charge of €10 each to partly cover costs), and they must be reserved in advance. Bookings will be on a first-come-first-served basis. Get in early, as this wonderful opportunity will fill up fast.

Call Siobhan Conway to reserve your place on 087 2765440.

Bark in the Park

The Kildare and West Wicklow Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (KWWPSCA) host this fantastic day for dogs and dog lovers!

Come along to the Strand in Liffey Linear Park to enjoy competitions, Fancy Dress, Agility Trials, Raffle, Cake Stalls, Doggy High Jump and plenty more in this afternoon of fun for our four-legged friends and their owners.

The KWWSPCA was founded in 1940 (initially as the Kildare SPCA) to help prevent and deal with cases of animal cruelty. The Society is devoted to the rescue, care and re-homing of animals throughout Kildare and West Wicklow. The KWWSPCA has no paid employees and is solely run by volunteers. For more information on the great work done by the KWWSPCA visit their website https://kwwspca.ie

Follow the KWWSPCA on Facebook.

LIVE. LAUGH. BARK!

Band On The Bank

Why not bring a picnic and head to the Watering Gates at Liffey Linear Park for a chilled outside gig.

Music from The Whole Hog Band, a lively and entertaining act playing covers of Americana, Bluegrass, Country, Rock and Irish Music.  

Join Ireland’s Midland Comic Convention - Celtic Con - in the Newbridge Town Hall on Bank Holiday Monday 3rd June from 12pm to 5pm!

Enjoy a host of fun, interactive and exciting attractions - Comic Village, Artist Alley, Geek Market, Display Vehicles, Craft Stalls, Gaming Zone, Exhibitor and Artist Expo Area, Artist Showcase, Cosplay Contest, and More!

Celtic Con once again brings some of Ireland’s finest Comic and Children’s book talent to June Fest.

Showcasing Kildare’s finest local creative writers, artists and illustrators,

Cosplay and Fancy Dress welcome.

Come join in the fun!

Street Sounds in George’s Street

Local young bands and singers, such as Veto Code and Christy Phelan, bring the sound to George’s Street, Newbridge on Bank Holiday Monday 3rd June for this amazing unplugged series of gigs throughout the afternoon.

History Walk with Paul Cook

Meet outside the Riverbank Arts Centre and join Newbridge local historian and writer Paul Cook for a gentle 90-minute walk through Newbridge.

Learn the stories behind the buildings and discover places that form part of Newbridge’s rich history.

Free Event

Memory Lane with Brid Larkin in Newbridge Library

Come along to Newbridge Library on Wednesday 5th June for a trip down Memory Lane with Brid Larkin.

Listen to Brid sharing stories of the Newbridge of old during a morning of reminiscence, bringing the Newbridge of former years to life.

All welcome at this FREE EVENT.

On the 5th June, the Curragh racecourse hosts Shed Fest - the first ever gathering of all the Women’s Sheds in Leinster!

There will be free entry for all Shed members through your local Women’s Shed to the June Fest race evening at the Curragh starting at 5.00pm.

As well as a great evening out at the races, participate or watch as the women attempt to set a record for the longest line dance in Ireland!

To round off a great evening, immediately after the last race at 8.30pm musical entertainment will be provided by the legendary Declan Nerney.

June Fest race evening returns at the Curragh racecourse with an exciting 8-race card starting at 5.00pm and featuring the Sky Bet Race to the Ebor Premier Handicap.

As well as a great evening out at the races in the wonderful new Curragh grandstand opened in 2019, there will be plenty of entertainment off the track - the Women’s Sheds of Leinster will try to set a record for the largest line dance at a racecourse, while entertainment will also be provided by the legendary Declan Nerney who will perform after racing.

Details on how to book free tickets will be announced in May so please follow June Fest on Facebook to make sure you don’t miss out!

Free admission but only with pre-booking.

June Fest is delighted that the Irish National Stud & Gardens will be new partners to June Fest in 2024 kindly offering free admission on a limited basis and only with pre-registration on Thursday 6th June (9am - 6pm with last entrance at 5pm).

Details on how to book tickets will be announced in May so please follow June Fest on Facebook to make sure that you don’t miss out!

Visitors to the Irish National Stud can avail of a free public tour which runs at regular intervals throughout the day (10.30am, 12.00pm, 2.00pm 4.00pm). You can see some of the Living Legends of Irish horseracing as well as learn about the breeding operations of the Stud. Enjoy strolling around the beautiful Japanese Gardens and St. Fiachra’s Gardens, as well as visiting the amazing Irish Racehorse Experience (with free admission kindly included for June Fest tickets).

Free admission but only with pre-booking.

Full details of the wonderful Irish National Stud & Gardens can be found here (including the option to buy excellent value for money season tickets) - https://irishnationalstud.ie/

Discover ways to protect yourself from negative energy using crystals and herbs.

Hazel Cahill, from Pure and Simple Holistic in Cutlery Road Newbridge, invites you to come along to the Library and discover the world of Well-being Rituals.

FREE EVENT

Milis means sweet in Gaeilge.

This performance was devised by the women of the Newbridge Women's Shed group collaborating with Crooked House over the past several weeks. They met once a week and created scenes, images, dialogue and episodes that explore several themes of importance to the women. The performance at the Riverbank Arts Centre will feature a celebration of the women's lives and insight into their experiences.

The workshops were facilitated by Peter Hussey and a talented team of international artists supported by the European Solidarity Corps and Erasmus+ programmes. They are Ricard Garcia Ganem, Yakup Bas, Pauline Sartori and Roberta Morella. 

Book here to reserve your FREE place at this performance

Women of Words: a day of writing instinct & inspiration in the Riverbank

11.30am-1.30pm Writing Workshop with Fíona Scarlett

3.00pm-4.00pm Miriam Mulcahy in Conversation with Olivia Fitzsimons

Women of Words is a new June Fest event celebrating women writing in Kildare, where we hope to bring together writing groups to talk about their work and the challenges of writing. 

Author Fíona Scarlett (Boys Don’t Cry) will host a two-hour writing workshop in the morning, from 11.30am to 1.30pm. This workshop will focus on the invaluable skill of trusting one’s gut instinct in writing and examine why it holds such significance in the creative process.

There are only 15 places available for this workshop, which costs €10, and prior booking is essential - Book Here

Then, at 3.00pm, Newbridge author Miriam Mulcahy (This is My Sea) will be in conversation with acclaimed author Olivia Fitzsimons (The Quiet Whispers Never Stop) about what inspires them in their writing and how diverse those sources can be.

This talk is free (or pay what you can) - Book Here

Women of Words is funded by the Kildare County Council’s Brigid 1500 Programme. 

Kindly sponsored by Newbridge Silverware

Filmmakers Renee Walker and Richie Kearney invite aspiring filmmakers to get involved in this brand new filmmaking festival.

Budding filmmakers young, older, in-betweeners, newcomers or experienced - all welcome!

 Filmfocus seeks to encourage creatives to show their talents on screen.

Selected films will be showcased in the Dark Cinema Room located downstairs at Newbridge Silverware on Saturday the 8th of June from 3pm - 6pm.

Prizes will be awarded to selected films. 

It promises to be a wonderful afternoon and a great opportunity to see the entries on a large screen and to network among other filmmakers and get inspired by other short films.

All you have to do is e-mail Junefestfilmfocus@gmail.com and attach your entry along with a brief description, a short bio and your films connection to Kildare.

All films will be assessed by professional judges considering camera work, story, editing, music, sound and most importantly, the over-all feel of your short film. 

So, come on, give it a go and show us what you’ve got!

Beat of luck to all and we look forward to meeting everyone on June 8th. Make sure to follow June Fest on Facebook - link - for more details.

‘Who Is Newbridge?’ FREE

2pm - 6pm

Participants were asked a simple question, 'Who Is Newbridge?’

Almost 25,000 people live in Newbridge. What ties us all together? The young and the old, those who have been here for years and those who are newcomers, What do the different communities and groups have in common?

Come to the town hall and be immersed in personal stories, photographs and films that seek to find the answer.

‘Who Is Newbridge?’ invites us to reflect on ourselves through each other. The project draws connections and examines the transformative power of every day life.

Performance at 2pm followed by afternoon tea.

June Fest would like to thank Ricard Garcia Ganem, Pauline Sartori and Yasser Ahmed from The Crooked House Theatre for this beautiful, touching project that has brought joy so many people and also to the following groups for being part of it:

Newbridge Day Care Centre

KARE

The Platinum Club

The Holy Family convent

The Newbridge Women’s Shed

NOTE: Head to Whitewater Shopping Centre for ‘Who Is Newbridge?’ a superb photographic exhibition by the South Kildare Photography Club and ‘What Newbridge Means To Me’ - Postcards written by a town.

Community Tea at Three

Join us in Newbridge Town Hall from 3pm to 5pm as June Fest 2024 draws to an end.

Meet the wonderful team behind the ‘Who Is Newbridge?’ project, share a friendly cup of tea and enjoy a slice of cake courtesy of Bradburys.