the BIG picnic

Jim Comic

Where’s Me Culture? Proudly Presents:

Big Picnic
Fota House and Gardens, Fota Island, Cork.
Sunday 14th August, 12 – 6 pm
by foot, bike or train: Free Admission
by car: €10 euro per car

Acrobats - Art Trail - Bar-B-Q - Bouncy Castle*- Chinese*Lion's Head*-*Clowns - Cork Community Circus – Cork Greenmap -*Cowboys & Indians - 18 Turns -*Face Painting - Farmers Market – Feel Well - Fun Sport 4 all ages - Live Music - Magicians - Meet the Animals*- Nature Walks – Screenings - Slow Food - Storytelling – Tea Rooms - Teddy Bears Picnic*- Theatre - Treasure Hunt - Puppet Show & much, much mór…

Big Picnic, brought to you by the good folk at Where’s Me Culture? with support from media sponsors 96FM, is an open invitation to the people of Cork to come and enjoy a fresh, fun-filled, family-oriented day of engaging events and activities in the beautiful natural surrounds of Fota House and Arboretum on a summer Sundays afternoon in August.
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An inclusive, broadly-appealing and colourful public event, Big Picnic offers an opportunity for up to 5000 people to gather together to take their leisure, and in so doing become active participants in celebrating what is a very special year of culture for Cork, her citizens and visitors alike.
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Tell Me More?
The attractions of a communal summer picnic in a place as peaceful, beautiful and historic as Fota House and her gorgeous gardens are many. In addition to all that this wonderful location has to offer, including Daniel Libeskind’s amazing 18 Turns structure in situ on the front lawn, Where’s Me Culture? has endeavoured to include as wide a variety of events and attractions as possible. Just some of these include:

Fota House
Film screenings for the ‘smallies,’ music performance, art displays and installations are planned for the lavish interior of Fota House, where our intrepid pic-nicers can also avail of the café service in the tea rooms and take guided tours that reveal the unique history of the historic house and the different lives of its former inhabitants.


Arboretum/Gardens
Art Trail: In association with Cork-based visual artists, an area of the grounds will display the work of sculptors and visual artists in innovative and exciting ways.
Bar-B-Q: Enjoy sizzling barbecue delights in the ‘jerk’ Jamaican-style.
Bouncy Castle: Let your babies bounce!
Chinese Lion’s Head: Colourful cultural performance from Dublin-Chinese Festival.
Cork Community Circus: Clowns, magicians and puppet shows.
Cowboys & Indians: Play area for ‘smallies’ around Native American-Indian tepees.
18 Turns: Explore Daniel Libeskind’s eye-catching 18 Turns on the front lawn.
Face-Painting: Always a firm favourite with the ‘smallies.’
Farmers Market: In association with Slow Food Movement, responsible for the Patrick’s Day market on Oliver Plunkett St., and local restaurants too. Series of diverse stalls selling mouth-watering morsels.
Feel Well: An area devoted to alternative therapies, massage, reiki, yoga, tai-chi, etc Fun Sport: Egg & spoon, 3-legged and sack races for all ages!
Live Music: Diverse programme of musical styles from a variety of artists all the way from big brass band to opera soloists to string quartets to bands, djs, singer-songwriters and buskers of all kinds.
Magicians: To bemuse and delight kids of all ages.
Meet the Animals: Some interaction with the neighbouring wildlife park is being arranged for the day.
Nature Walks: Find out more about the special soil at Fota, which allows a huge diversity of plants to thrive, on a nature walk revealing the stories behind the trees.
Storytelling: Lore and legend passed on through the generations in a Mongolian tent called a yurt!
Teddy Bears Picnic: An area with children’s games, puppeteers, Punch & Judy show, etc. Bring your bear!
Theatre: Luvius theatre group will perform selections from their acclaimed ‘Corkonians’ ensemble piece.
Treasure Hunt: More active participation from the ‘smallies,’ we’ll have them deciphering clues and hunting down prizes.
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Who? Where’s Me Culture? is a creative initiative to encourage, facilitate, support and instigate colourful arts and music based events and projects throughout this year of culture and beyond. In conjunction with the good people at Fota House and Arboretum, we pledge to programme, produce and present this fresh and innovative summer event to the highest possible standard.

dahamsta

Excellent idea. We should make a Boards Day Out out of it.

adam

Blitzkrieger

Seems more family orientated than aimed at bawdy beer swilling boardsies tbh. Talking about myself of course

dahamsta

Well, I wasn't exactly suggesting that we head down there with a couple of slabs like!

However I do love Fota, and it looks like it could be well worth a wander around. If it's sunny, obviously. And as long as we go to the pub /afterwards/.

adam

gimmick

Once again a great event planned by the WMC crowd. Just hope the rains stays away.

rymus

can I hide a slab in my camera bag? If I cant get drunk and rowdy what else do I have?

Jim Comic

should be a larf!

dahamsta

rymus wrote:

can I hide a slab in my camera bag?

You can hide your camera in a slab. Better yet, just bring a slab and leave the camera at home. I'm sick shít of watching every TD&H taking photographs of everything that moves these days. Can't these people stay home and blog and stop bothering us?

adam

rymus

if it's ok with you then I'll restrict myself to taking pictures of stuff that doesn't move.

dahamsta

rymus wrote:

if it's ok with you then I'll restrict myself to taking pictures of stuff that doesn't move.

Ah no, I'll be moving around a bit.

Femelade

we'll if ye guys are going then i'll probably see ye there (working for it) is there like a secret handshake or something?

DawnMc

Femmy wrote:

we'll if ye guys are going then i'll probably see ye there (working for it) is there like a secret handshake or something?

Femmy - didn't know u were from Cork too! Now we really can do some serious damage to horrible mean boys heads!!!! Hehehehe

Fysh

I think the secret signal for most boards beers so far has involved being insulted (in jest, of course) by dahamsta once he's made a proper start on the night's beers.

On a separate note, sounds very good. I will most likely end up down there - if nothing else, it's an incentive to finally drag my arse down to Fota after 3 years of living here (something always conspires to stop me going there every time I make specific plans to go...)

dahamsta

Not if you don't know the secret handshake...

Fysh

dahamsta wrote:

Not if you don't know the secret handshake...

Look. Trying to convince people to stick their hands down your pants doesn't count as a "secret handshake" no matter how many times you try to claim otherwise, ok? Just one of those things I think we should clarify.

dahamsta

One of these days I'll pull that off.

*koff*

LilMrsDahamsta

Fysh wrote:

On a separate note, sounds very good. I will most likely end up down there - if nothing else, it's an incentive to finally drag my arse down to Fota after 3 years of living here (something always conspires to stop me going there every time I make specific plans to go...)

Not really?! Too much cuteness to resist, esp when all the baby animals are on their first few days out in the open air

LilMrsDahamsta

DawnMc wrote:

Femmy - didn't know u were from Cork too! Now we really can do some serious damage to horrible mean boys heads!!!! Hehehehe

And I didn't know either of ye were from Cork!

Fysh

dahamsta wrote:

One of these days I'll pull that off.

*koff*

*cue obligatory "who'll pull what off?!" joke*

And yes, I know - I've been told by several people that I'd like Fota. Every time I make a concerted effort to get myself down there, however, something interferes. *sigh*

dahamsta

I'm a "Conservation Member", me. Got a membership card an' everyfing.

dudara

If there's one thing that freaks me out, it's crowds like above. No offense guys, but I'd rather meet you any time in a pub, than out at a gig like the above.

Femelade

yes yes, i'm from cork!! hip hip!!
i'm a country girl though but work in the city...mostly
i need to know the handshake, cos i'll most definately be there....i'll be the one in red

Femelade

so, anyone going to this tomorrow?

dahamsta

Forgot all about it tbh. I'm knackered atm but I'll check in tomorrow around lunch time to see if anyone's going. If they are, I might join ye.

adam

Dizzyblabla

no can do, I'm on nights, I'll be asleep all day... stoopid work...

Fysh

Was gonna go, but am wrecked for no good reason and the weather looks a bit lame...

Femelade

well i'm heading off now anyway. i'm working for it, very hungover. so if any of ye are going do call over and say hi. be nice cos the head cant handle much today.

DawnMc

Hope ya all have a ball at the boards beer. Think of poor me stuck at home studying meh