HAPPENINGS: A few things worth checking out this week

Airfield Estate Festival of Food

Come and share in an incredible bounty of Irish food from local producers at Airfield Estate Festival of Food in Dundrum on Saturday September 9 and Sunday, September 10.

Set over 38 acres, Airfield Estate is an award-winning urban farm, organic food and ornamental gardens, and visitor attraction, just a stone’s throw from the city sprawl.

Entry to the Airfield Estate Festival of Food is free to all and gates open at 9.30am on both days. More than 40 incredible Irish producers will showcase their wares, fresh, seasonal, wholesome Irish food and refreshments, a magnificent reflection of what our lands, farms, gardens and orchards across Ireland can produce.

Each day will be brimming with free workshops, demonstrations and talks across a variety of topics from cooking and gardening, to sustainability and farming. For the full programme of events, visit www.airfield.ie

Franchise Show Ireland

If you ever fancied running your own business, get down to The Franchise Show running at the RDS this weekend from September 8-9 from 10am-5pm.

For many of us, the thought of escaping the weekly nine to five working to make someone else's business successful is the stuff of dreams.

But what puts many of us off starting our own business is the low survival rate – a whopping 50 per cent of stand-alone start-ups fail within the first four years.

Franchising gives you a head start with a ready-made business model for a product or service that’s already performing on the market.

For free tickets call 1800-989828 or visit thefranchiseshow.ie for more details.

Lords of Strut: Absolute Legends

After a smash-hit collaboration on RIOT, this comedy dance duo come to Fringe as part of Dublin Fringe Festival's Young Radicals: Fringe for Kids programme.

All their lives they wanted to be famous. To get there they need to make the perfect dance routine and they need your help. In this family-friendly dance fantasy adventure brothers Sean and Seamus rock out some banging moves, run into trouble, have a few tantrums, cause a teensy bit of mayhem and find out if fame is really what they’re looking for after all.

The fun is all happening in Project Arts Centre at 1pm on Friday, September 8, Saturday, September 9 and Sunday, September 10. Tickets €8/€14 for kids/adults.

Fessef Parade

FESSEF aims to increase public awareness of the role played by the security and emergency services in protecting the safety and security of the State’s citizens and the protection of the State itself. It’s a chance to get to know more about the likes of the Defence Forces, An Garda Síochána, Dublin Fire Brigade, the Coast Guard and more. 

The parade is on Saturday, September 9, from 12 noon and it’s free to attend. For more info see fessef.ie/upcoming-events,

The Boys

Michael Harnett’s play, ‘The Boys’, will be staged at the Viking Theatre, Clontarf from September 11 to 16. 

The play tells the story of local boys growing up in Drumcondra during the 1960s.

Tickets cost €15. For more information visit www.vikingtheatredublin.com

Antiques and Vintage Fair

An Antiques and Vintage Fair will take place at Clontarf Castle Hotel on Sunday, September 10 from 11am-6pm. 

With over 30 stands, the fair will include expert and specialist traders offering thousands of rare and unique finds, including fine antique and vintage designer jewellery, vintage fashion and accessories for both men and women, along with a wide variety of items for the home. There will also be a selection of rare books, banknotes and coins on offer, along with artworks, memorabilia and much more.

Art exhibition

Catherine Lawlor's School of Art (www.dublinartclasses.com) will be hosting its 15th annual Art Exhibition at Malahide Tennis Club, on the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, September 9 and 10. 

The exhibition will have 52 artists showcasing over 135 new paintings with a huge diversity of oils, acrylics, watercolour, mixed media and pastels in subject matter ranging from traditional to very contemporary work. 

The chosen charity for this year is the Jack & Jill Foundation. For more information contact Catherine on 085-7106895.

‘Dummy’ for the Fringe

Growing up as children of a celebrity ventriloquist, family problems regularly become front page fodder. Especially when your parent is a national joke.

Burned by the glare of the spotlight, Teddy is a recluse, his only companion the dummy on his arm. But when his sister Dolly has a meltdown live on children’s television, the family home receives a couple of new house guests.

One of them wooden. From Peter Dunne, writer of This Year’s Girl, Eerie, and Inhabitance comes a dark hearted comedy about guilt, trauma and ventriloquism sure to set tongues wagging.

It runs at the Abbey Theatre from September 9 at 6.30pm as part of the Dublin Fringe Festival.

Craft Beer Festival

 For the seventh year running, the Irish Craft Beer Festival returns to the RDS from September 7 to 9. The nation’s original and biggest craft beer event will host over 40 breweries boasting over 200 tipples to tantalise your taste buds. 

Not only will attendees get to taste the nations trusted favourites as well as a record number of festival brews and spirits/cocktails – on show will also be over 15 American craft breweries.

To top this off, the explosion in the Irish spirits and distilling market will be aptly reflected in the extensive cocktail offering from our Irish craft poitín makers and a number of gin, whiskey and vodka distillers.

Festival vibes will take over the city until the late hours in the evening with an extensive live music and DJ line up – bringing the summer to a craic-filled closing.