Forbidden Fruit returns to the Royal Hospital Kilmainham this June Bank Holiday weekend from Saturday 2nd to Monday 4th. This year Mike D, Justice and Idris Alba are amongst the line-up and if the weather stays warm, it’s sure to be a great year for the festival.
Leave your tent and wet wipes at home as there’s no camping at FF which means you can enjoy all the festival atmosphere and the comfort of your own bed when it’s done. As Miley Cyrus’s alter ego Hannah Montana once sang ‘You get the best of both worlds.’ Neither Miley nor Hannah will be at Forbidden Fruit this year unfortunately.
Gates open at 2pm on Saturday and Sunday, and 3pm on Monday. Read on for everything you need to know about getting there.
BY FOOT
You can walk to Forbidden Fruit from the city centre. As a guide, the Royal Hospital Kilmainham is about a 40 minute walk from O’Connell Bridge. Pedestrian access will be via East Gate, Military Road and West Gate, James St.
BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT
BUS
From O’Connell Street or College Green, take the 40, 123 or 13 (every 10-15 min on Friday and Saturday, 20-30 min on Sunday) and exit at St James’s Hospital. From the stop, cross James’s St and walk down the steps, following the signs for the Irish Museum Of Modern Art.
From Aston Quay, take the 79/79A (approx. every 15-20 min Friday, Saturday and Sunday) towards Spiddal Park and exit at St James’s Hospital. As above, cross James’s St and turn right down the steps.
From Wellington Quay, take the 25A (every 10 min on Friday, 20 min on Saturday, 30 min on Sunday) towards Lucan SC and exit at Heuston Station. From the main entrance, it’s around a 10-minute walk to the East Gate entrance via St John’s Rd West and Military Rd.
From Palmerstown, take the 25A or 66A towards Kilmainham. Get off at St John’s Rd, cross the road and walk back the way you came, turning left up Military Rd to the festival entrance.
NB: Dublin Bus will operate to a Sunday timetable on Sunday and Monday. Timetables and real-time info are available from dublinbus.ie and the Dublin Bus mobile app.
TRAIN
It’s a five-minute walk from Heuston Station to the East Gate entrance via St John’s Rd West and Military Rd.
If your train arrives at Connolly Station, take the Luas Red Line from there towards Saggart and get off at Heuston.
Timetables are available here.
LUAS
Heuston Station is on the Luas Red Line. As above, it’s around a 10-minute walk from the station to the East Gate entrance via St John’s Rd West and Military Rd.
Timetables are available here.
SHUTTLE BUSES
Shuttle buses will depart from the main gate on Military Rd and take festival-goers into the city centre from 9pm each night, stopping near the designated after-party venues.
BY CAR
There will be no parking at the venue and traffic restrictions will be in place on both Military Rd and Kilmainham Lane, so it’s best to use public transport if you can.
Military Rd will be closed to vehicle traffic from the St John’s Road West and Kilmainham Lane/Bow Lane West junctions from 3pm. Some disabled access vehicles and work vehicles seeking access to the East Gate will be allowed to use this junction.
Military Rd will only be open to outbound traffic heading towards St. John’s Road West.
Kilmainham Lane will be confined to one-way traffic outbound only from 3pm each day.
After the event, from approx. 10:15pm each night:
St John’s Rd West will be closed to all traffic.
South Circular Rd will be closed outbound at the Emmet Rd jct and inbound at the Con Colbert Rd jct.
Bow Lane West will be closed outbound.
Diversions will be in place.
The other issue for drivers is that the nearest public car parks to the festival are the QPark at 15 Usher’s Quay and the Park Rite at Queen Street in Smithfield. It’s a 25-minute walk between either one and the Military Rd gate, which may feel a lot longer at the end of a day’s partying!
Gardaí also suggest the following locations for car parking: Phoenix Park, Hilton Hotel, Heuston Station, Inchicore Village, James St area, Rialto, Oblates Church, Goldenbridge Industrial Estate.
If you do decide to drive, make sure to leave plenty of extra time for your journey as the route to the venue is likely to be very busy.
Driving from the west, take the N4 Sligo Rd and the Chapelizod Bypass, Con Colbert Rd and St John’s Rd West.
From the north and north-west, use the M1, the N2 Monaghan Rd or the N3 Cavan Rd and then the M50, exiting at J7 Lucan to join the Chapelizod Bypass.
From the south and south-west, use the M11 Wexford Rd, N81 Blessington Rd or N7 Limerick/Naas Rd then the M50, following the route above.
For precise directions, distances, AA Roadwatch traffic information and fuel costs, use AA Routeplanner or the AA app.
TAXIS
A drop-and-go system will be in operation for taxis outside Heuston Station on St. John’s Road West and on Kilmainham Lane at the junction with Irwin St. Taxis will not be allowed onto Military Rd.
ACCESSIBLE CAR PARKING
Vehicles with a mobility impaired badge should arrive via James’s Street and Bow Lane where they will be directed via Military Rd to the East Gate where they will be directed via Military Road to the East Gate and from there to the Mobility Impaired Car Park.
Mobility impaired parking badges must be clearly displayed on vehicles.
After the show, vehicles will be held until after the vehicle curfew (approximately 30 minutes).
WHAT IF I BREAK DOWN?
AA Membership is available for as little as €8.25 per month and offers 24/7 emergency cover so we’ll never see you stuck. See here for more.
