Weekend Loves: Restival, GAZE Film Festival and a playful culture trail in Cork

Ruth O'Connor's guide to inspiring ideas and beautiful things

Sat, 29 Jul, 2023 - 02:00

Ruth O'Connor

Forest bathing and more at the Restival wellness festival

If the ultimate chill is just what the doctor ordered then you should head to the Restival festival this August at Mount Congreve Gardens.

The two-day health and wellbeing event will feature guided yoga, Qi Gong, and pilates classes as well as health and wellness talks — all set against the backdrop of the newly renovated estate.

The 70-acre estate with its woodland canopy is the perfect place to experience ‘Shinrin-yoku’ or forest bathing with all of its health benefits.

Speakers include Karl Henry and Mary Kennedy. Daily (€39) and weekend (€59) tickets for this adult-only event are available online

mountcongreve.com

Hello Barbie, Let’s go party — in Irish designs

We’re all on a Barbie wave this summer and pink Barbiecore styles will dominate the festival circuit this season.

While there are great Barbie-inspired styles everywhere from Pretty Little Thing to Penneys, one Irish designer has been championing the power of pink for quite some time.

Grainne Binns, founder of Subtle Poison, is a young woman with a passion for yoga, surfing, skating, and dancing who’s developed a range of fresh and funky retro-inspired co-ords, jumpsuits, cargo pants, and bucket hats that celebrate personal style, authenticity and individuality — think pink polka dots and flamboyant metallic materials.

subtlepoison.com

GAZE film festival marks 30 years since the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ireland

The Ten Commandments at GAZE Film Festival

The 31st GAZE International Film Festival launches this week and marks 30 years since the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ireland.

The extensive programme of screenings will see 114 films from 25 different countries, showing in Dublin’s IFI, Light House, and Stella cinemas as well as at GAZE online to make it as accessible and inclusive as possible.

Music, romance, sex, comedy, horror, documentary, and incredible storytelling all feature on this year’s bill which emphasises stories from across the LGBTQIA+ community.

The iconic artist David Hoyle will feature heavily, including the premiere of HEDDA (After Ibsen) — a radical film reimagining of the Ibsen classic by director Jen Heyes.

gaze.ie

The works of Andy Warhol come to Dublin this October

This year’s most hotly anticipated art opening is the Andy Warhol Three Times Out exhibition coming to the Hugh Lane Gallery in October.

Tickets for the exhibition go on sale on August 14 and art lovers can sign up now for pre-sale access to the exhibition which runs until the end of January 2024.

The first major exhibition of Warhol’s work to come to Ireland in 25 years, this show is bound to be popular with art and pop culture aficionados alike and will feature more than 250 works including the artist’s iconic Campbell’s Soup Cans, Marilyn Monroe and Chairman Mao prints.

Visitors can also expect to see works inspired by Warhol’s observations on identity and mortality such as his self-portraits, skulls, and electric chair images as well as the more family-friendly Immersive Silver Clouds sculpture.

hughlane.ie

Crafted Together — Jameson x Dickies

If you’re heading to All Together Now this bank holiday weekend the Circle Stage is the place to be as Jameson announces Pillow Queens as headline act alongside Banríon, Sorcha Richardson, Coy Haste from Caribou, Selló, and more.

The Fitting Room at Jameson Connects: The Circle Stage will also highlight a new fashion collaboration between Jameson and iconic workwear brand Dickies which has long been a favourite among skateboarders and streetwear mavens alike.

The Crafted Together Fitting Room will showcase this limited-edition collection while festival-goers can get style advice from stylists Ben Harte, Tobi Balogun, and Rebecca Ewnetu.

The capsule collection includes signature pieces including the Dickies Eisenhower Jacket and prices range from €18 to €73.

jamesonwhiskey.com

Explore Cork’s Playful Culture Trail this summer

Looking for something to do with the kids this summer? Then check out Cork City’s new Playful Culture Trail.

Established in 2021, this year’s Playful Culture Trail has launched with 25 exciting activities designed to engage families and children of all ages.

Use the child-friendly map to discover great cultural and historic spaces across the city and complete a list of 25 ‘Playful Things to Do’ — find Ogham Stones in UCC, sketch a work of art at the Crawford Art Gallery, or spot the Ardú street murals citywide.

The trail’s mascot, Bláithin the Lizard, is encouraging everyone to explore the city’s heritage and green spaces by foot or bike and to engage in creative activities that don’t harm the planet.