Dublin City Council Bram Stoker Festival returns from Friday, 23 October, to Monday, 26 October, promising four days of spooky spectacles, chilling performances, creative workshops and family-friendly entertainment across the city.
This year’s programme features everything from a spectacular Macnas parade and live horror podcasts to theatre, cult cinema, Gothic fashion and food events, with activities taking place in venues and public spaces throughout Dublin.
Macnas and live horror take centre stage
One of the festival’s major highlights is Fiáin, as Macnas returns to Dublin’s North East Inner City on Monday, 26 October. The spectacular parade will bring together giant visual theatre, music, storytelling and performance, drawing inspiration from the wild landscapes of the West of Ireland and the company’s 40-year history of bringing extraordinary spectacles to audiences worldwide.
Horror fans can also experience an evening of scares with Petrified Live at Project Arts Centre. The award-winning Irish audio drama will feature performers Margaret McAuliffe, Michelle McMahon and Donncha O’Dea, followed by a Q&A with creators Peter Dunne and Liam Geraghty.
Meanwhile, Stitch, written and performed by Irene Kelleher, makes its Dublin debut at Smock Alley Theatre following an acclaimed run at Cork Midsummer Festival. Inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the unsettling production explores the blurred boundaries between creator and monster.
The festival’s Night Bites programme will offer affordable creative workshops, including Gothic paper theatre, textile crafts, life drawing and sculpting.
Family fun and cultural discoveries
Stokerland returns to St Patrick’s Park from Saturday, 24 October, to Monday, 26 October, with free entertainment for all ages. Activities include storytelling, street arts, games, face-painting, creative play and a Victorian-style carousel. A relaxed session will run on Monday morning, while Dracula’s Disco at the Mansion House promises spooky music and surprises for children aged four and over.
Culture enthusiasts can take part in a research challenge at the National Library of Ireland, exploring Dublin’s Victorian and Gothic history alongside content creator Jane Casey. Author and Bram Stoker’s great-grandnephew Dacre Stoker will also delve into the people, places and folklore behind Dracula.
Film, fashion and food
Film lovers can catch a newly restored director’s cut of Hammer Horror’s 1958 Dracula, starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, at Light House Cinema.
Elsewhere, historian Laura Fitzachary will explore Gothic influences on contemporary fashion, while author Kate Ryan and chef Andrew Rudd will examine Ireland’s traditional blood-food culture at Medley, followed by a black pudding tasting.
Festival co-directors Maria Schweppe and Tom Lawlor said the event supports artists, creates employment and brings economic benefits to Dublin.
Councillor Deirdre Heney encouraged residents and visitors to experience the programme, celebrating the city that inspired one of the world’s most famous writers.
