HAPPENINGS:

Laya Healthcare City Spectacular

Over 200,000 festivalgoers are expected at Laya Healthcare's City Spectacular in Dublin's Merrion Square on July 12-14. Expect three days of over 100 street performances from jaw-dropping international talent, feel good family health and wellness area with Laya Healthcare, a live music stage with bop-worthy bands, an even bigger Just Eat Street food market with delicious global cuisines from barbecue to bratwurst to burritos, football skills arena and football freestylers, an imaginative play universe for kids and hands-on lego model building, children's storytelling and creative writing, vintage funfair rides and a plethora of free spectacular programming for all ages.Entry is free and no tickets are required. See www.cityspectacular.com. There's also a handy detailed map available so you can plan your day out. 

Superhero Summer in Dublin

DublinTown’s Summer in Dublin campaign will see Henry Street and the newly pedestrianized Suffolk Street animated with a range of superhero-themed, free, family entertainment between 1pm and 5pm each Saturday over eight consecutive weeks starting on July 13 on Henry Street.

Families can enjoy activities such as face painting, music, superhero characters, balloons, giant games and a novelty photobooth – all for free.

Brick Féile

Ireland's premier show for Irish LEGO fans, organised by brick.ie, the creative team behind Ireland's most spectacular LEGO models, is taking place at City North Hotel & Conference Centre, Gormanston, this weekend on Saturday and Sunday, July 13/14.

Brick Féile will have Ireland's largest brick pits where the little ones (and maybe the bigger children) can get stuck into play areas to show off their building skills and there’ll be a world record breaking mosaic team from Fairy Bricks on hand to help you build your part of Ireland's largest ever mosaic. For ticket info see www.brickfeile.ie.

Quiz night in Swords

A fun table quiz in aid of St Francis Hospice takes place every Monday in the Estuary Pub, North Street, Swords, starting at 10pm. Why not go along and test your knowledge? It’s for a very good cause!

Travesty

‘Travesty’, a debut play by Liam Williams, runs at The New Theatre (43 Essex Street East, Temple Bar) from July 9-20 at 7.30pm (+ Matinee on Saturday, July 13 and Saturday, July 20). Preview on July 9 and opens on July 10. Tickets: €17 (€14 conc.)

‘Travesty’ is presented by The Corps Ensemble in association with The New Theatre. 

Ben doesn’t even like Anna that much. She doesn’t take life seriously enough. And then a couple of years go by and he’s in absolute floods and she just wishes things could be different. This is a play about gender, the ethical dimensions of modern love, and lemon tarts.

For more information visit www.thenewtheatre.com

International Photography Exhibition

The Municipal Gallery in dlr LexIcon, Dún Laoghaire, is now hosting the 161st Royal Photographic Society International Photography Exhibition. Held every year since 1854, this is the longest standing exhibition of its kind in the world and is a celebration of photography today, showcasing the best of contemporary photography from established and emerging photographers. It offers an insight into current trends and subjects at a time when photography and the moving image have never been more relevant to the human experience; and also provides a platform for new generations of photographers.

The exhibition features 100 images by 54 international photographers selected from an open-call which attracted over 7,000 entries from professional and amateur photographers from over 60 countries including UK, USA, Australia, Brazil, Russia and Indonesia. This inspiring exhibition comprises a wide range of photographic genres from portraiture and landscape to documentary photography addressing contemporary issues as well as personal stories.

Flower show in Coolock

The ‘Heaven Scent’ Rose and Sweet Pea Show, hosted by Dublin Five Horticultural Society, will take place on Sunday, July 14 at 2pm in Chanel College, Coolock.

Admission is €2, and light refreshments and cakes will be served. If you would like more information on this popular annual event, phone 087-2423020. 

The Weaving Paintings

The Farmleigh Gallery in Farmleigh Estate, is hosting an exhibition of works by Gareth Jenkins, Kohei Nakata and Masashi Suzuki.

The Weaving Paintings by Kohei Nakata physically describe the action of painting lines in pearl acrylic that appear to weave between each other. His Layered and Line Paintings suggest a ritualistic repetitive process

Opening hours are from Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm.