This Neven Maguire Experience Makes the Perfect Christmas Gift
If you're stuck for gift ideas and the usual suspects (candles, slippers, vouchers) are leaving you cold, here's one that might actually get used. Tickets to A Taste of Bloom curated by Neven Maguire are now on sale for next year's festival and honestly? It's the kind of present that feels properly thoughtful without requiring you to trail around town in December panic mode.
The dining experience is returning to Bord Bia Bloom 2026 for the festival's 20th anniversary celebrations, running across five days over the June bank holiday weekend. Set in the Garden View Restaurant overlooking the spectacular Show Gardens, it's a three-course meal designed to showcase the best of Bord Bia Quality Assured produce. Think seasonal Irish ingredients prepared by one of our most beloved chefs in a setting that's genuinely lovely.
Why This Makes a Brilliant Gift
For starters, it's an actual day out. Not a thing that'll sit in a drawer or end up regifted next Christmas. Your mam, your sister, your best friend who's always sending you recipes on WhatsApp… whoever you're buying for gets festival entry plus a gorgeous meal plus the chance to meet Neven Maguire himself. It's the full experience and it doesn't involve you having to wrap anything awkwardly shaped on Christmas Eve.
There are just two sittings each day at 12 noon and 2:30pm, which means it'll sell out fast. Tickets start from €79 per person through Ticketmaster and that includes entry to Bloom on your chosen day. Vegetarian, vegan and allergen-friendly options will be available too, so you're covered for different dietary needs.
Neven mingles with guests at a dining event.
What Makes It Special
Neven's clearly delighted to be back curating the menu again. He said last year was a spectacular experience and he's looking forward to highlighting the incredible produce Ireland has to offer. "This experience offers a rare opportunity to meet the people who will be enjoying the food, something I value very much as a chef," he added.
What's particularly nice is that much of the produce featured in the meal will be on display in the Food Village at Bloom. So after you've demolished your three courses you can actually meet the producers, chat about what you've just eaten and pick up ingredients to recreate dishes at home. It's that proper farm-to-table connection that makes Irish food culture so special.
The full menu details will be released in February, but you can book your tickets now. And let's be honest, if you're the organised type who likes to tick off Christmas shopping early, this is the perfect excuse to feel smug about having something genuinely good sorted.
A Day Out Worth Having
Bord Bia Bloom is celebrating its 20th year in 2026, running from Thursday May 28th to Monday June 1st in Phoenix Park. It's one of those brilliant Irish events that manages to be both massive (70 acres, around 100,000 attendees annually) and still feel welcoming. There's something for everyone really… show gardens, live entertainment, workshops, shopping and of course plenty of food.
If you're buying tickets as a gift, remember that two children can go free with each adult ticket purchased for general festival entry. So if you're planning a family day out alongside the dining experience, the sums start looking pretty good.
For more information and to book your tickets, head to ticketmaster.ie. Just don't leave it too long because prime time slots are going to vanish faster than the good biscuits in the staff room.