Looking Back at DBF25

Thank you to all of you who joined us at Dublin Book Festival 2025 for our five days of dynamic literary and creative events in venues all across the city, including our Festival Hub at IMMA Venues. Join us as we take a brief look back at just some of what these five days included.

On Day 1, we were out at TU Dublin’s Grangegorman Campus for Sustainability Here and Now, a day of events focused on sustainability and pressing sustainable development themes. That evening we came back into Dublin’s Windmill Quarter for our festival opening night celebrating 100 issues of The Dublin Review, broadcast live on RTÉ Radio 1 Arena, while a book launch was also underway up in the Irish Writers Centre.

On Day 2, we had another full day of events out at DCU’s St Patrick’s Campus. Class Acts: Equality, Connection and Belonging was an engaging day of poetry, discussion, readings, music and an open-mic, all around writing illuminating often-overlooked lives and experiences. Back in the city centre, we had walking tours underway, bilingual Irish-English poetry and spoken word events, the Global UNESCO Cities Slamovision poetry slam final, two book launches around Dublin’s vibrant coffee spaces and a memoir blended with food writing and artwork, and an eye-opening panel discussion looking at the experiences and treatment of women in Ireland across three centuries. The first evening in our DBF After Dark Festival club was a lively and diverse programme including debut authors in conversation, performance and storytelling, with eclectic DJ sets from writers to close the night.

On Day 3, we had a number of professional development events, one for Literary Producers, another for children’s authors and illustrators, and a wellbeing writing workshop, as well as a walking tour through the streets of Joyce’s Dublin. Poetry was celebrated through various events including a discussion around care as captured through poetry, a bilingual showcase and a book launch. We also had author panel discussions around debut books, short-story collections, the darkest of human behaviours as explored through fiction, and an immersive evening of conversation around books inspired by music, film and art.

Days 4 and 5 saw a huge number of events taking place at our Festival Hub in IMMA Venues at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham. The weekend included everything from authors in conversation about their latest books, anniversary and tribute events, and stimulating panel discussions looking back through history, to discussions around the craft of writing and translation, and conversations around STEM, the science of storytelling, and pressing topical environmental issues as part of our Science Week programme. We also had walking events through the stunning grounds at IMMA, and our full weekend of interactive events and activities for children and their families to enjoy with some of Ireland’s best-loved children’s authors and illustrators.

Beyond our hub, events included literary walks through the streets of the city centre, a delve into fiction and short-story collections at dlr LexIcon and Ballyogan library branches, a conversation for the Day of the Imprisoned Writer at the National Library of Ireland, a look at the hidden histories of Dublin Pub’s at Rascals Brewery, panel discussions and a zine workshop up at the Irish Writers Centre, two RTÉ lyric fm Culture File Debates out in the National Botanic Gardens, a historical fiction writing workshop at the Chester Beatty, and nature and history talks at the RDS Library & Archives. Our final evening at Bartley’s in the Grafton brought a diverse evening of events including a showcase of new voices underrepresented in literature, a gala evening of Irish poetry and music, and a panel discussion around three absorbing novels stepping back in time.

We also saw a whole series of engaging school events, for primary and secondary schools, take place throughout the week in Dublin City Libraries, other venues around the city, and online. The students joined some of our brilliant authors and illustrators for readings, lively discussions, and workshop sessions including writing, drawing, poetry, crafting, and translation.

With over 100 events to look back on, head over to our Instagram (@dublinbookfest) to follow as we continue to share moments from DBF25, and for those not on Instagram we’ll also be updating our website gallery with plenty of images over the coming weeks.

The festival could not have happened without the unwavering support of our festival funders, sponsors and partners, and we have many thank yous to say. For the invaluable and continued support of The Arts Council, we are deeply grateful. To long-time supporters Dublin City Council and the Dublin UNESCO City of Literature office, we thank you for the continued support. Thank you to Dublin City Council’s Night-Time Economy Advisor for the support once again towards this year’s DBF After Dark strand. To Research Ireland who again supported us as part of Science Week. To RTÉ who supported us through RTÉ Supporting the Arts, the ICLA and our media partners the DMG Group. To Culture Ireland, whose support allowed us to bring over an international delegation of festival directors. We were also delighted to once again be part of Fáilte Ireland’s Winter in Dublin campaign. And to all our festival partners who supported us in our programming, and through the use of their wonderful venues which allow us to weave our festival into the cultural fabric of this city, we thank you.

If you attended events at our Hub, you may have noticed our beautiful stage sets in the Great Hall and the Chapel, donated and designed by Dublin design company Oriana B.

Last but by no means least, thank you all of you, our audiences, who came and joined us at DBF25, and we hope to see you back again next year!

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