What is Bloomsday?
James Joyce's novel Ulysses, published in 1922, follows a single day in the life of Dublin: June 16, 1904. Its hero, Leopold Bloom, an advertising canvasser, wanders the city from breakfast to the early hours, crossing paths with Stephen Dedalus and dozens of Dubliners in pubs, offices, streets and a funeral, while his wife, Molly, waits at home. Joyce chose the date because it was the day of his first outing with Nora Barnacle, the woman he would marry.
Bloomsday, named after Bloom, is the celebration of that day. Joyce himself mentioned a group observing "Bloom's day" in 1924, but the first organized pilgrimage came in 1954, on the novel's 50th anniversary, when a group of Dublin writers and artists set out to retrace the book's route, each playing a character. They did not make it far before the pubs took over, which many consider a fitting tribute.
Today Bloomsday is a festival. The James Joyce Centre has run a programme of events around June 16 since 1994, with readings, performances, walking tours, talks and music, and on the day itself the city is full of Joyceans in Edwardian costume: men in boaters and striped blazers, women in long dresses and wide hats. People eat a breakfast of kidneys, as Bloom does, read from the novel at the Martello tower in Sandycove where it opens, and stop for a gorgonzola sandwich and a glass of burgundy at a pub where Bloom has his lunch.
Bloomsday is also celebrated around the world, from New York and Philadelphia to Trieste, where Joyce lived, and Budapest, but Dublin is its home.
What to expect
The main events take place on June 16, with a festival of readings and performances in the days before.
Morning
Breakfast and the tower
The day starts with readings of the opening chapter at the James Joyce Tower and Museum in Sandycove, and Bloomsday breakfasts in cafés and pubs around the city.
Midday
In Bloom's footsteps
Costumed Joyceans follow walking tours along Bloom's route through the city centre, stopping for readings and a famous lunch of gorgonzola sandwich and burgundy.
Afternoon and evening
Readings and performances
Readings, music and performances continue in pubs, libraries and theatres, and the celebrations often go late into the evening, in the spirit of the book.
A Bloomsday morning in Dublin
Photo by infomatique / flickr · CC BY-SA 2.0
Planning your trip
Getting there
Dublin Airport has flights from across Europe and North America, and buses run to the city centre. Sandycove, home of the Joyce Tower, is about 30 minutes south of the centre on the DART coastal train. Most of the city-centre events are within walking distance of each other.
Where to stay
The city centre, on either side of the River Liffey, is the most convenient. Dublin hotels are expensive, especially in summer, so book early, or consider guesthouses in the suburbs along the DART line.
What it costs
Many events are free, including street readings and gatherings, while some breakfasts, walking tours and performances are ticketed. Dublin is an expensive city, especially for accommodation and drinks.
Go like you know
- Read at least the opening chapter of Ulysses before you go; you'll recognize the places and the jokes.
- Visit the James Joyce Centre on North Great George's Street for exhibitions and the festival programme.
- Stop at Sweny's, the pharmacy where Bloom buys a bar of lemon soap, now kept as a place of readings.
- Walk the route of the "Wandering Rocks" chapter through the city centre, a good way to see the Dublin Joyce knew.
- Take the DART to Sandycove early in the morning and swim at the Forty Foot, the bathing spot below the tower, as the book's first characters do.
- For Dublin's other great festival, see St Patrick's Festival, in March.
- Edinburgh's Festival Fringe, in August, is another literary city's great celebration of words and performance.
Frequently asked questions
When is Bloomsday?
Every year on June 16, the day on which Joyce's Ulysses is set. In 2027 it falls on a Wednesday. The festival of readings and events around it usually starts several days earlier; check the James Joyce Centre's programme for the year's schedule.
Do I need to have read Ulysses?
Not at all. Many people come for the costumes, the atmosphere and the readings, which bring the book to life. Reading a few chapters, or a short guide, will help you recognize the places and characters, but the celebration is open to everyone, Joyce lovers or not.
Where are the main Bloomsday events?
In central Dublin, around the James Joyce Centre and along Bloom's route through the city, and in Sandycove, at the James Joyce Tower and Museum, where the novel begins. Pubs, libraries and theatres across the city host readings and performances.
