Music, culture & family fun
Bray has several festivals and events through the year but summer is a particularly busy time. Bray Jazz Festival (brayjazz.com) takes place annually on the May Bank Holiday weekend offering concerts, recitals and jazz trail gigs.
On Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd July the Groove Festival takes over the grounds of Kilruddery Estate.
Bray Air Display runs from 23rd July to 24th July promising aircraft, aerobatics and much more. On the ground there will be food and craft markets and lots more to see and do.
See bray.ie to keep up to date on all future events.
Soak in some of the work of visual and performance artistsworking in the region with a visit to Mermaid Arts Centre (01-2724030) on Main Street.
The centre opened in August 2002 and has greatly added to the artistic and cultural life of County Wicklow with its varied programme of performance including innovative dance, theatre, comedy, music and arthouse cinema.
Mermaid Gallery exhibits work by artists from Wicklow and further afield. The centre runs workshops, exhibitions, Monday night art house films and more. Find the full programme on mermaidartscentre.ie.
Killruddery House & Gardens (01-2863405) is set on a beautiful estate and has been home to the Earls of Meath since 1618. The grand house was commissioned in the 1820s by the 10th Earl and many claim it is:
'The most significant Elizabethan Revival mansion in Ireland.'
It also has extensive formal gardens, some dating from the 17th century, and a walled garden.
There are guided tours of the house available from July to September. There are tea rooms on-site. Squirrel’s Scramble is a ‘tree top adventure’ experience based on the estate too.
Killruddery holds a farmer's market every Saturday, 10am–4pm (all year round), regular activities and many other events throughout the year from falconry to Easter egg hunts to outdoor concerts.
The Totally Terrific Tomato Festival, celebrating all things tomato, takes over Kilruddery Estate on Sunday September 4th 2016. See tomatoes of all shapes, sizes and varieties at this unusual festival.
To explore more in Bray click here.
For more events along the Dart line click here.