Celebrating the Centenary Anniversary of the Release of James Joyce’s Ulysses.
Bloomsday is celebrated on June 16th each year, the day depicted in James Joyce’s Ulysses. The day is named after the central character in Ulysses, Leopold Bloom, and follows the life and thoughts of Leopold Bloom and a host of other characters – real and fictional – from 8:00 am on 16 June 1904 through to the early hours of the following morning.
Joyce’s Ulysses was first published in its entirety on February 2, 1922, which was also Joyce’s 40th birthday. Now Bloomsday is celebrated around the world and celebrations include dressing up like characters from the book and in clothes that would have been the style of the era.
Below please find information on Bloomsday celebrations taking place this week, and to learn more about Bloomsday festivities taking place around the country and around the world visit The James Joyce Centre or Bloomsdayfestival.org.
Readings & Songs at Meeting House Square in Temple Bar
It’s time to don that boater hat and join us for an afternoon of readings and songs from Ulysses as part of the Bloomsday Festival’s flagship event Readings and Songs at Meeting House Square in Temple Bar, on Bloomsday, Tuesday, 16th June at 3-6pm.
The events features a cast of noted Irish writers, actors, musicians, pundits, and everyone in between, reading extracts from Ulysses. The readings will bring to life Joyce’s immortal words, from his description of Dublin’s “snotgreen sea” to Molly Blooms famous “yes” soliloquy. A long-standing and treasured tradition, this afternoon of songs, readings and performances from Ulysses in the heart of the city is an essential part of the Bloomsday experience.
This event is kindly supported by Fáilte Ireland and the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport.
The event is free and open to the public.
Date: Tuesday, June 16
Time: 3-6 pm
Venue: Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, Dublin
Tickets: The event is free and open to the public.
National Library of Ireland Announces Bloomsday 2026 Programme of Events
In collaboration with the James Joyce Centre the National Library of Ireland will celebrate James Joyce’s Ulysess with a programme of readings and performances as part of the official Bloomsday Festival on June 16.
Headlining the programme is a special theatrical reading by actors in Joycean costume from scenes set in the NLI’s Reading Room. During the performance Ulysses characters Stephen Dedalus and Buck Mulligan will meet the ‘quaker librarian’, NLI’s former Director Thomas William Lyster, while Leopold Bloom consults the NLI’s newspaper collections on a quest to find a back issue of the Kilkenny People. Performances start at 2pm and 2.30pm in the Main Reading Room of the National Library, on Kildare Street, coinciding with the exact hour Bloom enters the National Library.
Visitors to the NLI can also enjoy a special performance by the Fingal Mummers inspired by Ulysses character Buck Mulligan’s mummers play. This performance takes place from 3pm until 4pm on the front steps of National Library of Ireland. Welcoming visitors will be the James Joyce Massive Head by the Galway-based performing arts group Arcana.
At the Seamus Heaney: Listen Now Again exhibition at the Bank of Ireland Cultural & Heritage Centre visitors will be able to listen to readings from Seamus Heaney’s Finders Keepers, with examples from the Aeolus chapter of Ulysses. The performance will be held at 12 noon.
The NLI’s Reading Room which featured in Episode 9: Scylla and Charybdis of Ulysses will also be open to the public to visit between 6pm and 8pm on June 16.
“The National Library of Ireland is central to the Bloomsday story,” said Director, Dr Audrey Whitty, “and we are delighted to be part of the Bloomsday Festival this year. Not only is our beautiful Reading Room the setting for one of the chapters of Ulysses – ‘Scylla and Charybdis’- it also features National Library director at the time, Thomas William Lyster, who would have been well known to James Joyce.”
Director of the James Joyce Centre, Darina Gallagher, added: “We are proud to be working with the National Library of Ireland this Bloomsday with an expanded programme of events, bringing to life the characters and places of Ulysses. The Bloomsday Festival is a colourful celebration of James Joyce himself and especially his acclaimed novel Ulysses with its rich cast of characters. In partnership with the NLI and through our Bloomsday Passport, we encourage everyone to embark on their own literary journey around Dublin, following in the footsteps of Bloom and Dedalus on that summer afternoon in 1904.”
Date: Tuesday, June 16.
Time: 12 pm, 2-2:30, 3-4, 6-8
Venue: National Library of Ireland
Bloomsday at Cassidy’s
—But wait till I tell you, he said. Delahunt of Camden street had the catering . . .
Ulysses
Join us on Bloomsday, Tuesday, 16th June to celebrate Cassidy’s unique literary history!
While there are many pubs in Dublin that claim tenuous connections with James Joyce and Ulysses, Cassidy’s on 42 Camden Street (then known as Delahunt’s) is a notable exception. James Joyce was a regular here, or as close to a regular as Joyce’s wanderings would
allow. The reason for Joyce’s patronage of Delahunt’s relates to the immediacy of Camden Hall, and the Irish Dramatic Company, which in 1902 had been formed eight doors down the street at no. 34. Joyce loved theatre, the arts and music halls within which he himself was an accomplished performer. However, this venue did not always approve of Joyce’s errant behaviour as he was on one occasion ejected from Camden Hall for falling down drunk and looking up the skirts of leading actress, Vera Esposito.
In the Wandering Rocks chapter of Ulysses, Joyce refers both to Delahunt’s port and their external catering service. ‘He checked his tale a moment but broke out in a wheezy laugh. But wait till I tell you, he said. Delahunt of Camden Street had the catering and yours truly was chief bottlewasher.’ Joyce later refers to Delahunt’s famous port wine. ‘She was well primed with a good load of Delahunt’s port under her bellyband. Every jolt the bloody car gave I had her bumping up against me. Hell’s delights! She has a fine pair, God bless her. Like that.’
Have a pint, bring a copy of Ulysses and experience the book in more ways than one!
Date: Tuesday, June 16
Time: 11 am – 11:30 pm.
Venue: Cassidy’s pub, 42 Camden Street, Dublin
Bloomsday and Beyond 2026 in Washington, D.C.
From Dublin to Washington, D.C., Irish stories travel well. This Bloomsday, we celebrate not only James Joyce, but also the wider tradition of Irish writers who have carried Ireland’s literary voice far beyond its shores. Learn more about Bloomsday happenings around the District.
Blind Date with an Irish Novel at Politics and Prose
Fall in love with Irish literature this Bloomsday!
For the second year running, the Embassy is proud to partner with Politics and Prose to sponsor a ‘Blind Date with an Irish Novel,’ as part of the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Global Book Giveaway. Buy one Irish novel in-store and receive a second surprise Irish novel for free to fall in love with.
This promotion is running throughout June (while supplies last!) at all three Politics and Prose locations in Washington, D.C.
Politics and Prose (5015 Connecticut Avenue NW)
Politics and Prose at The Wharf (610 Water St SW)
Politics and Prose at Union Market (1324 4th Street NE)
Ulysses Mini-Marathon Reading at Politics and Prose
On Bloomsday (June 16th) at 1pm, join our friends at Politics and Prose for a mini-marathon reading of James Joyce’s Ulysses at their Connecticut Avenue location. Marathon readings of this modernist masterpiece can go on for days, but P&P’s little version will last just over an hour. Volunteer to read a short prepared portion of the novel as straight or as fulsome as you wish. The emphasis is on having fun, so don’t worry about having to accurately pronounce names or placenames – Politics and Prose staff will provide a helpful guide.
Newcomers to Ulysses are especially welcome. Small spot prizes for all participants! This event is free and open to all, with first come, first serve seating. Learn more at https://politics-prose.com/bloomsday-2026.
Little Free Library Scavenger Hunt
Your next Irish read could be right around the corner. To celebrate Bloomsday and Beyond, we are hiding a selection of Irish books in Little Free Libraries across the D.C. area.
Keep an eye out on your next stroll, you might just find your next great Irish read around the corner!
Bloomsday in New York: A Shout in the Street
The James Joyce Society of New York and Irish American Writers & Artists Inc. present Bloomsday 2025: A Shout in the Street on Saturday, June 14th from 3 to 6pm in Dive 106.
The 5th annual festive reading from James Joyce’s Ulysses, with drink specials, Joyce trivia and special guests. All are welcome to pick their favorite Ulysses passage and read!
Date: Saturday, June 14
Time: 3 – 6 pm
Venue: Dive 106, Amsterdam Ave, New York, New York
Bloomsday in New York: A Shout in the Street
Celebrate the 122nd Bloomsday and the 23rd anniversary of Ulysses NYC with a full day of programming.
The schedule kicks off at noon with Chapter 8 featuring a complimentary glass of burgundy and gorgonzola.
From 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, Colum McCann hosts literary extracts with special guests, followed by Aedín Moloney’s performance of Penelope | Chapter 18.
Enjoy a cocktail hour at 4:30 PM during the reading of Chapter 12. Evening activities include live music by Colin Smith starting at 5:00 PM and concluding with Chapter 15 performances.
Readings by local enthusiasts and actors continue throughout the day.
Date: Tuesday, June 16
Time: 12 pm – late
Venue: Ulysses NYC, 58 Stone Street, New York, New York
The 2026 Bloomsday Festival in Philadelphia
Every June 16, we gather together to read from Joyce’s Ulysses. It’s a beloved and foundational event for this institution, the home of Joyce’s manuscript of a novel that continues to inspire, scandalize, and thrill.
We’re delighted to announce several updates to the festival, inspired by feedback we received from you at last year’s event, with some additional special events. These updates invite more participation and create greater access to the Rosenbach’s collection:
• The Bloomsday public reading will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Delancey Place.
• Reader spots are open to the public again this year!
• We will open the museum and historic house to present guided tours of our galleries and special presentations of collection materials! See the full schedule below.
• After our Delancey Place readings end at 6:00 p.m., we’ll enjoy a special one-woman performance. Molly’s Soliloquy at Sunset begins at 6:00 p.m. and will feature Philadelphia actor Kirsten Quinn!
• Many of our Bloomsday readings, presentations, and performances are FREE to attend— We’ll see you June 16!
Venue: Rosenbach Museum and Library 2008- 2010 Delancey Street, Philadelphia, PA
Bloomsday 2026: Ulysses Meets Sgt. Pepper in San Francisco
Bloomsday 2026 will feature a unique perspective on James Joyce’s classic Ulysses using rock music.
From the creators: “Bloomsday 2026 will feature a unique perspective on James Joyce’s classic Ulysses using rock music and AI (artificial intelligence). Visual images and voices of characters from 1904 Dublin were created and parallels drawn to the Sgt. Pepper album. Ulysses is re-imagined in a unique way such that Ulysses comes alive.”
The Dowling Library at the UICC is proud to host this dynamic look at James Joyce’s classic tale. This is what we mean by “Bloomsday in Music and Prose”.
Light snacks. No-host beverages.
Tickets go on Sale Friday, May 21, 2026 until June 18:
Date: Friday, June 19
Time: Doors at 5 pm, show begins at 6 pm
Venue: United Irish Cultural Center
Tickets: Available until June 18.
- General Admission $30-
- UICC Members $25-
- U12 Free
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