When is Bloomsday?
Bloomsday 2027 is on Wednesday
Wednesday, June 16, 2027
June 16 every year. That's in 255 days.
until Bloomsday begins, in your time zone
Bloomsday is a yearly celebration of James Joyce's novel Ulysses, which follows Leopold Bloom through Dublin over a single day in June 1904. Readers mark it with public readings, walks to places in the book and Edwardian dress.
About Bloomsday
Bloomsday takes its name from Leopold Bloom, the advertising canvasser at the center of Ulysses. Joyce set the whole novel on Thursday, June 16, 1904, and the day's fans recreate pieces of it: they eat breakfasts modeled on Bloom's, follow his route across Dublin, read passages aloud in pubs and on street corners, and dress in clothes of the period. Biographers connect the date to Nora Barnacle, who later became Joyce's wife; the Dictionary of Irish Biography says their second meeting, after they met on June 10, was probably on June 16.
Ulysses was first published in Paris in 1922. According to Dublin's Bloomsday Festival, the earliest known celebration of the book was a lunch in France in June 1929, organized by Adrienne Monnier, partner of Joyce's publisher Sylvia Beach. The first Bloomsday in Ireland came on the novel's 50th anniversary in 1954, when a group that included Patrick Kavanagh, Flann O'Brien, Anthony Cronin and Joyce's cousin Tom Joyce set out to visit sites from the book and read from it along the way.
Since 1994 the James Joyce Centre has organized a Bloomsday Festival in Dublin on behalf of the city, with readings, performances and guided walks over several days around June 16. The day is also marked well beyond Ireland. In Philadelphia, the Rosenbach Museum & Library, which holds Joyce's handwritten manuscript of Ulysses, has held a free public reading festival every year since 1992.
Sources: Bloomsday Festival (James Joyce Centre): What is Bloomsday?, Dictionary of Irish Biography: Barnacle (Joyce), Nora, The Rosenbach Museum & Library: The Bloomsday Festival. How we check dates.
How to mark Bloomsday
- Read the opening chapter of Ulysses aloud, or listen to a recorded reading, over breakfast.
- Join a Bloomsday reading or walking tour in Dublin, or at a library, bookshop or Irish cultural center near you.
- Trace Leopold Bloom's route on a map of Dublin, on foot if you are there or online if you are not.
- Wear Edwardian-style clothing, such as a straw boater hat, to a themed brunch with friends.
- Start a slow-reading group that takes on the novel one episode a week.
Bloomsday dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Monday, June 16, 2025 |
| 2026 | Tuesday, June 16, 2026 |
| 2027 | Wednesday, June 16, 2027 |
| 2028 | Friday, June 16, 2028 |
| 2029 | Saturday, June 16, 2029 |
| 2030 | Sunday, June 16, 2030 |
| 2031 | Monday, June 16, 2031 |
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Frequently asked questions
When is Bloomsday 2027?
Bloomsday 2027 is on Wednesday, June 16, 2027. It falls on June 16 every year. In 2028, it is on Friday, June 16, 2028.
Why is it called Bloomsday?
It is named after Leopold Bloom, the main character of Ulysses, whose day in Dublin on June 16, 1904, the novel follows.
Why did Joyce set Ulysses on June 16, 1904?
Biographers link the date to Nora Barnacle, his future wife. The Dictionary of Irish Biography says their second meeting, and first real outing, was probably on that day.
Do you have to read Ulysses to celebrate Bloomsday?
No. Many people take part through readings, walks and performances without having finished the book, and the festivals are often used as a friendly way into it.
Is Bloomsday a public holiday?
No. Bloomsday is an observance, not a public holiday, so schools, banks, government offices and most businesses keep their normal hours.