Scary festival set to celebrate Dublin city’s godfather of fright

ONE of Dublin’s most anticipated festivals, and now one of its biggest, is set to celebrate the supernatural, the thrill of Samhain and the legacy of one of Ireland’s most treasured authors over October Bank Holiday Weekend.

With more than 70,000 people expected to enjoy the Bram Stoker Festival this year, there’s something for everyone in the packed programme of theatre, readings, illustration and animation, outdoor screenings, audio treats, free family fun parks, podcasts and electrifying adventures in unusual locations throughout the city.

Fast becoming a much-loved Dublin tradition, thousands of people are once again expected to line the streets of the city for the Macnas Parade ‘Out of the Wild Sky’ (Monday 29) that starts from Moore Street at 7pm.

World-renowned pioneers of imagination and invention, Macnas will transform the city streets as dusk falls, with a haunting and hair-raising procession of otherworldly creatures.

Fans of Sky One’s TV adaptation of A Discovery of Witches and the All Souls Trilogy will love Deborah Harkness: In Conversation with Patrick Freyne (Sunday 28) in The Chapel Royal at Dublin Castle from 2pm. Tickets (€11) will include a public interview and Q&A with the writer behind some of the most compelling characters in contemporary fiction.

The American scholar and novelist will discuss her New York Times best-selling novel 'A Discovery of Witches', her globally bestselling ‘All Souls Trilogy’, and recently published new novel ‘Time's Convert’.

NYsferatu: Symphony of a Century (Friday 26) in St Anne’s Church, at 7pm and 9pm, is a stunning rotoscope recreation of the classic 1922 horror film Nosferatu, set in present day New York City, and featuring 35,000 hand drawn images, replicating the eerie, flickering shutter effect of early cinema.

Speaking about this year’s festival, the Lord Mayor, Nial Ring, said: “As a proud Dubliner, it is great to see that this ever-growing annual festival honours one of our most famous sons and also brings the spectacular Macnas through the streets of Dublin.

“This year’s ambitious programme certainly provides something for everyone, while ensuring that Bram’s many great works are referenced and celebrated. I know that anyone who comes into the city will enjoy the diverse events across the weekend.”

Also speaking at the launch, Fáilte Ireland’s CEO, Paul Kelly, said: “Fáilte Ireland is delighted to once again support the Bram Stoker Festival. A celebration of one of our most famous writers and all things spooky, the festival is a fantastic showcase of the city of Dublin, our culture and people.”

In Dublin Castle’s hauntingly beautiful Chapel Royal, catch a terrifying theatrical treat, The Horrors in the Black Church (Friday 26 – Monday 29) at Dublin Castle from 7pm where a 70-minute combination of three short horror plays will be performed within one show

Firm family favourite, Stokerland (Saturday 27/Sunday 28, from 11am to 4.30pm) returns to take over St Patrick’s Park for two days of Victorian fun and frolics. With one of Dublin’s most stunning cathedrals as a striking backdrop, this Gothic gathering is full of entertainment to keep little monsters amused,  and will include the macabre talents of world class street-performers as well as rides and attractions.