Hollywood Fair is ready for a weekend of vintage fun!

Previous re-enactment depicts the 'Red Coats' rounding up rebels and shooting them. This year's re-enactment will focus on the flooding of the lakes, no wet suits required!

placeholder image — Previous re-enactment depicts the 'Red Coats' rounding up rebels and shooting them. This year's re-enactment will focus on the flooding of the lakes, no wet suits required!

See lots of pre-1950s style, cooking, crafts and farming skills on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11

Last night, Hollywood Fair kicked off with the annual Céilí in Hollywood GAA Club. The vintage festivities have begun! There is nothing quite like this festival; it started out as a mere idea to celebrate some vintage farming, community and social fun, dating back prior to the 1950's era. And the idea took off, for sure. Not just within the parish and surrounding communities but the whole of Leinster and beyond landed on our West Wicklow neighbourhood as the reputation of the event grew.

Last year, they took a break and it was badly missed. It's a huge undertaking, and only the likes of Hollywood community could make it a success. The spirit this West Wicklow community is commendable; they unite, divey up the tasks and organise what is possibly one of the least expensive events to the end visitor but one that offers the widest and most enjoyable experiences all crammed into two days of fantastic entertainment.

The Fair presents a wonderful showcase of cooking demos, crafts and forgotten crafts from the pre 1950s

Furthermore, it educates our youth and several generations on the practices and crafts used 70 years and before.

It's great to see the effort people make to dress up in early 1920s attire, others who adapt the pinafores and hair nets, curlers, etc. And then there's the men and boys in white 'granddad' collar shirts, with braces and caipíns. As for the musical talent on show, from Ballymore Concert Band to the Healy Family, to Mór Cheol, and this year, a few youngsters under the coaching of Eugene Gilroy will also entertain. There are the senior and junior groups within Music Under the Mountains, Mary Byrne School of Dance, and a clatter more entertainers lined up again this year.

Re-enactment this year will be the flooding of the lakes - let's hope we don't have to wear wet suits for that..... I'm curious as to how BEDS will present that in a convincing manner!

Just look at the listing below for Saturday alone, this is the 'quieter' day of the Fair! Full listing for Sunday will be featured on Kildare Now tomorrow afternoon. The weekend entails a slow bicycle race, traditional latin mass, dog trials, food demos, photographic exhibitions, farm skills exhibitions, vintage farm machinery on display and working steam threshing demos, vintage cycle displays, old games which kiddies just love, food stalls, confectionery for sale, bric a brac, crafts, etc, etc!

Admission is only €5, young children go free. Hollywood Fair, Saturday 10 and 11 August, a mighty vintage festival of spectacle and fun.

Saturday 10 August

2pm Traditional Food available in The Hollywood Inn and Hollywood Cafe

2-5pm Exhibition of Old Photographs in Hollywood Centre; 2-4pm Afternoon Tea in the Céilí House

5pm Congregate in Tutty’s Field for Mass; 5.30pm Last modern vehicle parked in field; 5.45pm Gather for Mass;

6pm Latin Mass with full Choir singing old hymns

7pm Vintage Pram Race and Slow Race (High Nellies!)

7-9pm Local Art Exhibition and Flower Arranging Display in Church of Ireland

7.45pm Historical Re-Enactment “Flooding of the lakes” (Adm €3)

Venue: Main Stage

8.30pm - 9pm Music under the Mountains Band - Junior

9 - 10pm Music under the Mountains Band - Senior