FOR THOSE too old, too broke or too sensible to want to spend their time camped out in a muddy field with 80,000 other music fans, there are plenty of alternative events on this weekend.
The Beach Boys celebrate their 50th anniversary with shows at the National Concert Hall in Dublin tonight and tomorrow. Meanwhile, Westlife are in Cork city this evening as part of the Live at the Marquee festival.
The Birmingham Royal Ballet's well-received performance of Coppeliacontinues at the Grand Canal tonight while Ballet Manila will be premiering its gala show East Meets West at the convention centre.
Up to 5,000 people are expected at the Galway Garden Festival at Claregalway Castle this weekend. A free courtesy bus will be available from Galway city rail station to the festival every hour from 10.30am.
The West Cork Literary Festival continues in Bantry with Eats, Shoots Leaves author Lynne Truss and Booker Prize nominee Justin Cartwright among the guests.
Kinsale Arts Week begins today and continues until next Sunday. Comedy, music, theatre and poetry will all feature, and extra bus services will run between Kinsale and Cork city during the week.
In Letterkenny, the Earagail Arts Festival begins, as does the Carrick-On-Shannon Water Music Festival in Co Leitrim and the Bray Summerfest in Co Wicklow. The Cairde Summer Festival in Sligo also continues over the weekend.
On the sports front, there is plenty of GAA action over the next few days, including Wexford’s clash with Dublin in the Leinster football final at Croke Park tomorrow. There’s also racing at Tipperary, Sligo and Fairyhouse racecourses.
Met Éireann is predicting a warm weekend with good sunny spells and some scattered showers. Temperatures are forecast to reach 20 degrees.
