The flagship event of the Bliss Ireland project is its' annual Summer Festival - so far 5 Festivals have taken place since February 2012; the first two in Dublin, the third in West Cork, the fourth in Galway & the fifth in 2015 in Northern Ireland, thus circumnavigating this beautiful island of ours & visiting all 4 of the modern provinces in the process! Click here for more on our previous events!
Due to financial costs incurred & income lost as a result of a legal action on the part of 2 people to prevent the 2015 Festival taking place, on moral grounds, there was no 2016 Festival & the future of the Bliss Festival, & Bliss Ireland is currently uncertain. Watch here & on Facebook for updates.
Due to financial costs incurred & income lost as a result of a legal action on the part of 2 people to prevent the 2015 Festival taking place, on moral grounds, there was no 2016 Festival & the future of the Bliss Festival, & Bliss Ireland is currently uncertain. Watch here & on Facebook for updates.
The 2015 Festival was held at Narrow Water Castle, Co Down, image credit: Mike Brown
There were talks - classes - vendors - workshops & playshops - panel discussions - boutique camping - rituals & ceremonies - performances & more.
What's the Festival all about?
The Bliss Festival is two full days & three nights of workshops, talks, panel discussions, rituals, ceremonies, delicious food, opportunities for lots of fun & celebration, great music, interesting art, relaxation, deeper connection with oneself, others, & a beautiful place for all over the age of 18 - in order to explore & express the fullness of who and how we are as sexual human beings, complete with mind, body, and spirit, encompassing our sexual freedom, sexual health (in both mind & body), and sexual pleasure.
The Festival is not about telling you how to live your life or what to do, it offers opportunities for exploration, experimentation, & expansion. The Festival offers opportunities to discover & learn more about yourself, & about practices & techniques, & to have experiences that may offer you a fuller, deeper, richer experience of life, and much, much more! Check out the testimonials page to see what those who've been to previous Festivals had to say.
Image: Raw Spark, Opening Ceremony Performance Festival 2015, picture by Mike Brown
Who is the Festival for?
One of the things we like most about our events is the wide variety of people who attend - the Festival is suitable for singles, couples & those in relationships with more than one person. It's suitable for those who are celibate or sexually active, monogamous or polyamorous, those who like to keep their clothes on & those who like to take them off. The people who attend our events range in age from late teens to late 60s, many come from overseas for the Festival, from as far away as the west coast of the USA & Australia, but there are also lots of Irish people who attend too. The Festival attracts Pagans, Christians, Jews, people who consider themselves New Age, Athiest or Agnostic, Buddhists, Hindus, Tantrikas & Taoists, people of a spiritual path & no path - we welcome all in the spirit of open hearted respect for difference & love for all.
The Festival is for you if you're interested in exploring and expressing your whole self, your mind, your body & your spirit in it's fullness. The Festival's for you if you'd like to meet other adventurers & explorers in like minded and like hearted community free from alcohol & drugs in a beautiful location, at a stunning venue, during a green & lush Irish summer.
Image: The rolling landscape of Co Down, location for Festival 2015, image by Mike Brown
Is the Festival one big orgy?
This is a surprisingly common question & myth!!!
The Festival offers opportunities for those who attend to have the experience they desire while respecting their own, & the boundaries of others & the Festival itself.
Some attend the Festival never once getting naked or in a space where others are naked, others spend the weekend exploring one or two workshops where there might be some nudity and the rest of the time meeting new friends & socialising. Others throw themselves into the experience and attend every workshop they can and connect with as many people as they can.
Each and every experience, whatever it is, is right for that person, there is no ''right'' or ''wrong'' way to experience the Festival other than what is ''right'' or ''wrong'' for you and YOU get to choose your boundaries, YOU choose what workshops, talks and other events you go to during the weekend and YOU choose how you participate and with whom. YOU are in control of your own experience at all times - consent & personal empowerment are two of the fundamental cornerstones of the Festival and the project & we cover these on Friday night with some workshops & in the Opening Ceremony which is why we especially ask first-timers to arrive for the 6pm kick off to attend the introductory workshops on offer.
Festival 2016?
Why is the Festival alcohol & drug-free?
The Festival is, as all our events are, alcohol and drug-free for two main reasons; firstly because in our culture drugs, alcohol in particular, are often commonly used as a crutch to give ''Dutch courage'' to people during sexual or intimate encounters, it is our desire that we experience and feel all that flows in such situations, whether it's joy, fear, apprehension, ecstasy, bliss, tension etc - we think that it is only by fully experiencing what we are feeling that we can work through and overcome any difficulties in order to live a richer, deeper, freer and fuller experience of life. The second reason our events are free from alcohol and drugs is so that they are accessible to all, including those in recovery from addiction. Cigarette smoking is permitted in designated areas only.
Festival 2016?
There will be no Festival in 2016, & the future of Festivals is uncertain at this time. A legal action to prevent the Festival taking place, on moral grounds, in 2015 resulted in such financial cost & loss of income, and despite the valiant fundraising efforts of many, insufficient funds were raised by the December 25th deadline to make a Festival 2016 viable. The future of Bliss Festival, & the project as a whole, is currently under review.
