DUBLIN will be awash with blood and gore at the end of this month – and it’s got nothing to do with Halloween.
The Bram Stoker Festival, which will run from Friday, October 24 to Monday, October 27, will unleash a plethora of terrifying happenings across the city.
This year the festival will infiltrate the very crevices of the Dublin and will paint the town red with the legacy of Bram Stoker.
A Dublin City Council initiative in association with Fáilte Ireland, the festival is inspired by the heritage of world-famous Dublin horror novelist Bram Stoker and his notorious novel
‘Dracula’.
From large-scale spectacles to intimate performances in unusual spaces and a whole range of film and literary events, there will be something for all lovers of Gothic horror.
Ticketing for the 2014 festival is now live for more than 30 events, with two additional mystery highlights being announced later this week. The festival will appeal to Stoker aficionados of all ages, in five key strands –
‘Children of the Night’,
‘Street Treats’,
‘Deadly Words’,
‘Dark Energy’ and
‘Sinister Screenings’.
Programme highlights include: the ethereal
‘ShapeShifter’s Ball’ from party masters Body&Soul at the Irish Museum of Modern Art; the Irish premiere of
‘The Curse of Styria’ featuring Stephen Rea; and
‘Underground’, where an Irish Rail train will take passengers on a journey into the depths of a secret tunnel under the Phoenix Park to discover the darkest side of Dublin’s underground.
A number of
‘Sinister Screenings’ chosen by film curator Maeve McGrath are sure to entice latent Goths out of hiding with a range of exciting, rare and frightening silver screen classics, including eighties cult favourite
‘The Lost Boys’.
For Gothic music fans,
‘The Cure in Orange’, a seldom seen recording of an outdoor concert filmed in 1986, is sure to be a major draw.
The festival will also host the Irish premiere of
‘Beautiful Noise’, the first-ever documentary about one of the most influential, underground music movements of the 20th century with special guest appearances from musical icons.
‘Street Treats’ will firmly place the city streets within Bram Stoker’s grasp with a number of outdoor events penetrating the city’s hot-spots. Participants will be invited to join an epic battle in the Goths Vs Zombies Dance-Off – a fancy dress, music and dance battle between two legions of horror lore.
Glaswegian artist Claire Biddles will be inviting the public to a Goth Karaoke where they will have the chance to live out their teen Goth fantasies by performing live on stage.
A Gothic Fair will pop-up in Smithfield’s Generator with food, drink, music and over 35 market stalls.
The
‘Children of the Night’ part of the programme will feature family-friendly daytime events suitable for mini-vampires and parents. In Temple Bar, the Project Arts Centre will host
‘Vampire With No Teeth’, a production of three spooky mini-stories told using interactive storytelling and live illustration.
The literary programme,
‘Deadly Words’, will serve up a slew of vicious vocabulary. One of the highlights will be the
‘Literary Death Match’, where four authors will pitch their words and wits against each other.
Ray Yeates, Dublin City Arts Officer, said they were looking forward to channeling the city’s darker side for this year’s Bram Stoker Festival.
“It’s going to be a fantastic and unexpected bank holiday weekend full of gothic horror,
? he said.
“What’s particularly wonderful about Bram Stoker’s
‘Dracula’ is the fact that he can be attractive, enigmatic, terrifying and fun all at the same time, which is a really shocking blend of characteristics that we can’t wait to bring to life on the streets of Dublin.
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The full programme of events can be found on www.bramstokerfestival.com and tickets are now on sale.