City Spectacular festivals for Dublin and Cork

Laya Healthcare’s City Spectacular will return to Dublin’s Merrion Square from July 8th to 10th and to Cork’s Fitzgerald Park on July 16th and 17th. Entry to this family friendly festival is entirely free of charge. The festival runs over three days in Dublin and two days in Cork, showcasing the best in international street performance, interactive family activations and workshops, delicious artisan producers and international street food.

Director Shell Holden commented: “This year’s festival will come to life through an exciting line-up of talent including reptile-tattooed sideshow superstar The Lizardman, puppetry royalty Bosco, Bruce Springsteen’s favourite street performer contortionist Alakazam – the human knot and the larger-than-life 8ft fully-animated Titan the Robot.”

“New areas to explore at this July’s festival include Laya Healthcare’s Greatest Place on Earth; a spellbinding land where families can play, dance and create together, an international street food festival with a live music stage and waiter service, and a pet wellness area with the DSPCA where festival-goers can get pet health advice or be the star of the Scruffs Dog Show. We would love everyone - families, friends, couples and pet pooches - to come join in the celebrations and enjoy our FREE festival this July,” added Holden.

Laya healthcare, Ireland's second largest health insurance provider, has once again committed its support to the family festival, and is focusing on children’s health and wellbeing at this year’s event. “We are delighted to announce our three-year sponsorship of Laya Healthcare’s City Spectacular, which is the biggest free family summer festival in Ireland,” said D O O’Connor, Deputy Managing Director of laya healthcare. “Each year the festival has grown and developed and we look forward to having the best festival yet in 2016.”

“At laya healthcare, giving back to our members through free family events like Laya Healthcare City Spectacular is another demonstration of our brand promise of ‘looking after you always’ and we look forward once again to welcoming the crowds in both Dublin and Cork to this unique festival.”

Family health, fitness and wellbeing will be central to Laya Healthcare’s Greatest Place on Earth area with free kid’s aerobics, yoga and dance classes. Ireland’s much loved puppet Bosco will make a special trip to this area to support the festival’s official charity partner, LauraLynn Ireland’s Children’s Hospice.

For the first year Laya Healthcare’s City Spectacular is celebrating all things pets in Merrion Square this July. Bring your pooch along to PET-acular with the DSPCA and they could be the star of the 'Scruffs Dog Show', hang out in the King of Paws agility arena and set tails wagging in their very own photo shoot. The wonderful team at the D.S.P.C.A will also provide microchipping and pet health advice. When we say fun for all the family we mean fun for ALL the family, including the 4-legged members!

This year, there is also a dedicated international street food festival within Laya Healthcare’s City Spectacular called JUST EAT Street. Visitors are invited to devour over 25 different cuisines from around the world, enjoy music from international musical acts, and chill in the sunshine with friends and family. Just Eat will provide a waiter service that will take and deliver food orders for festival-goers, bringing the best of JUST EAT’s online ordering service - 'https://www.just-eat.ie/takeaways/ - to life at the City Spectacular.

The ESB Spark Your Imagination area is a creative hub for children, designed to inspire, educate and feed the imagination. Here you’ll find a feast for the senses with creative writing workshops from Fighting Words, fun and games from Imaginosity Dublin Children's Museum, science and electricity shows from mad German scientist Doktor Kaboom and French wooden games from Festi-Jeux for all children to enjoy.

Laya healthcare will once again bring their ever-popular Kid’s Court to the family-loving festival, but this year it is even messier, meaner and more mischievous than ever! Children can put their parents on trial, who may be sentenced to a custard-pie-in-the-face or a bucket of iced water thrown as punishment.

Laya Healthcare’s City Spectacular will take place from July 8th – 10th in Dublin’s Merrion Square and July 16th and 17th in Cork’s Fitzgerald Park

For the full programme of fun activities and excitement at Laya Healthcare’s City Spectacular check out cityspectacular.com

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