[4] The first Bloom garden festival was held in June 2007 and opened by then President of Ireland Mary McAleese.

[7][8] Chinese ambassador Liu Biwei and the Earl of Rosse were among notable attendees.

[11] Past events have featured professional gardeners, an artisan food market and culinary displays from several celebrity chefs.

[14][15] The volume of visitors has led to long queues,[9] and increased levels of traffic in the area.

[2] The event organisers have sought to encourage attendees to make use of public transport.