phibsboro town
- Sep 17, 2023
- 4 min read

Buzzfest 2023 Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th September

Phibsborough’s beloved annual sustainability and biodiversity festival expands over two days this year!

Come to Phibsborough, the northside urban village which is leading the way in creating a sustainable community and biodiverse environment. We encourage everyone to think global and act local. At Buzzfest you can learn practical actions you can take to mitigate against climate change, while enjoying fun activities for all the family.

Buzzfest, featuring St Peter’s Church Garden Party, will take place over the weekend of Saturday 23rd September 2-5pm @ St Peter’s Church Gardens (entrance on New Cabra Road) and Sunday 24th September 1.30pm-5pm @ Phibsboro Scouts Hall & Villa Bank Garden (behind Phibsboro Library).

Now in its 7th year, Buzzfest has expanded into a free entry two day event. It’s organised by Phibsboro’ Village Tidy Towns, with support from Dublin City Council, consisting of a Garden Party in collaboration with St Peter’s Church on Saturday 23rd, with lots of biodiversity and sustainability stalls including a Repair Café, while Sunday 24th will see a Sustainable Fashion Workshop and Clothes Swap taking place in Phibsboro Scout Hall and a Mini Pond Building Workshop at Villa Bank Biodiversity Garden, on Royal Canal Bank, behind Phibsboro Library. Places at these workshops are limited and can be booked via Eventbrite:

● Mini Pond Building Workshop

● Sustainable Fashion Workshop

We are delighted to announce we will be joined by several local resident special guests at this year’s Buzzfest. The festival will be officially launched on Saturday by Minister Paschal Donohoe, while presenter and podcaster James Kavanagh, will be special guest judge of the annual pollinator-themed baking competition, ably assisting two experts in Baking and Pastry Arts from TU Dublin. We are also delighted to welcome local historian Peter Clarke, author of ‘Walking the Royal Canal’ who is a member of the Royal Canal Amenity Group.

Hands-on biodiversity demonstrations led by experienced local gardeners and our Biodiversity Group will show you how to create a space that encourages pollinators and other insects to enjoy your garden. Insects are a critical part of biodiversity and for the first time at Buzzfest we will have an expert on creating a mini pond to encourage insects to your garden, whatever size your space. Forager cosmetics, made from foraged herbs and plants, will be there to advise you on natural skin care. There will also be local honey to buy from Royal Canal Honey.

Speak to our local experts about how to take steps to reduce your energy consumption and how to access financial support for retrofitting your homes, and you can also learn more about sustainable transport. The concept of a circular economy is relatively new to many of us; members of the Sustainability Group will share information about the North Circular Economy – reusing, repairing, and reducing consumption and waste, including vintage clothing, clothing alterations and a clothes swap, along with the Dublin Commuter Coalition. Visitors can bring jewellery, clothes, furniture, toys and bicycles to be repaired at the Repair Café.

The Baking Competition has a pollinator theme this year. It’s open to all age groups and there is no limit on the number of entries per person. There are three categories: large cakes of any shape, 6 cupcakes and 6 cookies/biscuits. Please bring your entries on a board or plate by 2.30pm on the day.

The Blessing of the Bees is an ancient ritual and an integral part of Buzzfest. The Phibsboro’ Village Tidy Towns apiary was set up in 2016, with kind permission of St Peter’s Church parish and funded by the Croke Park Community Grant. Honey bees are one of the many vital pollinators for our food plants but there are about 100 different species of bees in Ireland. Sadly, one-third of all Irish wild bees are faced with the threat of extinction so it has never been more important to learn how to support these little creatures wherever we can.

St Peter’s Garden Party is raising funds to support people in the locality who are experiencing social isolation. The stalls will include a Tombola, Returned Gifts, Plant Sales, Wellbeing and Refreshments, with Strawberries & Cream.

Local groups, repairers and local musicians are also involved, including the Phibsboro Men’s Shed, Phibsboro for All, Bí Urban, Connecting Cabra, Reliable Bikes, The Sustainable Life School and The Seamstress by Cora, and we are delighted to welcome back Miss Eileene’s ballet dancers who will entertain us with bee and butterfly themed dancing, while for the little ones, there will be face painting, and a colouring competition.