Bloomsday 2025 in Queen Street Mall, Brisbane. Pictures: Queensland Irish Association

Bloomsday will once again bring a touch of Edwardian Dublin to the streets of Brisbane on Tuesday, June 16, with readers, musicians and Joyce enthusiasts gathering to celebrate one of Ireland’s most famous literary traditions.

The annual event, organised by the Queensland Irish Association, will begin at 12pm on Queen Street Mall with readings from Ulysses accompanied by music and entertainment before a BYO drinks gathering afterwards at Gilhooley’s. Performers will include Celtic musician Brendan Williams and the Queensland Irish Association Pipe Band. The event will be filmed and live-streamed by Queensland Irish Association.

Those attending are encouraged to dress in Edwardian-era costume to help recreate the atmosphere of Dublin in 1904 — the day immortalised in James Joyce’s Ulysses and now celebrated worldwide as Bloomsday.

Thanks to Queensland Irish Association, Brisbane has developed a long-running Bloomsday tradition of its own. For years, the city’s Irish community has gathered in the CBD for dramatic readings from Ulysses, taking Joyce’s words out of libraries and lecture theatres and into the middle of the city streets. Previous celebrations have transformed Queen Street Mall into a little piece of Dublin, with performers in period dress stopping curious lunchtime crowds in their tracks.

Bloomsday marks June 16, 1904 — the day on which the events of Ulysses take place and also the date of Joyce’s first outing with Nora Barnacle. Named after the novel’s central character, Leopold Bloom, the celebration has grown from small literary gatherings into a worldwide tradition observed across Ireland and far beyond. Readings, music, theatrical performances and Edwardian dress have become hallmarks of the occasion.

Adding to the celebrations this year will be a Bloomsday exhibition at Brisbane Square Library, running from June 1–19. Organised by the QIA Historical and Cultural Committee, the display will feature James Joyce-related material, Dublin memorabilia and items celebrating the history and spirit of Bloomsday.

Both Bloomsday and the library exhibition are free to attend. For more information, go to https://www.facebook.com/Qldirishclub