Business flourished, award-winning gardens inspired visitors, and conversations around sustainability, wellbeing and the future of urban living took centre stage as Bord Bia celebrated its 20th Bloom event in style
The Phoenix Park attracted over 90,000 visitors over the June Bank Holiday weekend, with Bord Bia Bloom once again showcasing the very best of Irish food, horticulture and sustainable living.
Speaking today (Monday) on the concluding day of the 2026 festival, Jim O’Toole, Bord Bia’s Chief Executive, highlighted the significance of this year’s event.
“Twenty years on from the first Bloom, it is remarkable to see how the festival continues to evolve while remaining true to its core purpose of celebrating Irish horticulture, food and sustainability.”
“The quality of this year’s show gardens has been exceptional and what has always set Bloom apart is its ability to use gardens to spark conversations about issues that affect us all, from sustainability and biodiversity to mental health and community wellbeing. As we conclude our 20th festival, we are already looking forward to welcoming visitors back in 2027.”
Sustainable Gardens
In keeping with Bloom’s long-standing commitment to sustainability, many of this year’s gardens will continue to have a life beyond the festival. The gold medal-winning Fingal County Council Garden will be relocated to Brackenstown Walled Garden near Swords, where Fingal County Council is restoring the historic site and establishing a new community gardening group.
The ‘Shared Roots, Common Shade’, sponsored by the European Commission and designed by Oliver and Liat Schurmann will be relocated to Cork, where it will become a publicly accessible garden for local communities to enjoy. The garden highlighted Ireland’s forthcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Meanwhile, the plants and materials from the ‘Nature in Balance’ organic farming garden, designed by Linda McKeown, will also be reused, with trees and plants redistributed to charity, school and community garden projects.
Bord Bia also announced that Bloom has retained its event sustainability certification, the first event in Ireland to achieve ISO accreditation for sustainable event management. The certification was confirmed for a second year following an independent onsite audit, recognising the festival’s continued commitment to environmental responsibility, social impact and best practice in sustainable event delivery.
Final Day Awards
The final day of the festival also marked the announcement of two highly anticipated awards.
The People’s Choice Award, voted for by visitors to the show, was awarded to ‘Rooted in Resilience’, designed by David Negus. The garden was inspired by people living with multiple myeloma, a rare and incurable blood cancer.
The Designers’ Choice Award, selected by the Bloom 2026 garden designers, was presented to Joe Eustace for The ‘Future in Mind’ garden, sponsored by the Mental Health Commission. The garden reflected Ireland’s transition from institutional mental health care to a recovery-focused, community-based system.
Business was Bloomin’
Consumers once again demonstrated a strong willingness to spend at Bord Bia Bloom, with exhibitors reporting robust sales and strong engagement from visitors.
Paul Robbins of The Plant Emporium by Arboretum noted especially strong demand for larger specimen plants. “Plant sales have been really strong, in particular for larger specimens, which is great to see. This has been a good year for plant sales, and people are certainly willing to spend” he said.
Maresa Ronan, Blanco Niño, the Clonmel-based tortilla chip business, described Bord Bia Bloom 2026 as a hugely successful event for the brand.
“It’s been an amazing experience. We’ve seen a noticeable increase in consumer interest in our products and in Irish businesses generally compared with last year, which is fantastic to see. The response from visitors has been incredible, and it’s been our busiest year to date in terms of sales. The support for Irish food producers at Bloom continues to grow, and we’re delighted to be part of that story.”
Looking Ahead
Bord Bia has confirmed that Bloom 2027 will take place from Thursday, June 3rd to Monday, June 7th, 2027, in the Phoenix Park, Dublin.
Laura Douglas, Head of Bord Bia Bloom, concluded “We are incredibly grateful to our visitors, designers, nurseries, exhibitors, sponsors, partners, volunteers, visitors, and the wider Bloom community who helped make this 20th anniversary festival such a memorable occasion.”
For more information, visit https://www.bordbiabloom.com/
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