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Events are still happening – in the comfort of your home

By Sonya Callan

Thankfully we have moved away from the dreaded weekly online quizzes however, more and more people are finding that the zoom drinks on a Friday night are no longer ticking the boxes and providing the entertainment we are all craving after so many months at home.

The yearning for live events is still with us all and probably one of the elements of normal life that people miss the most.  Having a concert, festival, art exhibition or fashion show to look forward to always brings joy and great anticipation to our lives.  Another element we are missing is being able to take part in our favourite hobbies such as gardening, singing and dancing, which are always important in fulfilling our social and educational needs.

So, until we can all attend our favourite events in the flesh and rejoin our social groups what are our options at home?  There are lots of at-home mini events you can plan, which don’t require much effort but if you want to go all out and plan a full nights entertainment for yourself, many promoters, event organisers and activity providers have been thinking outside the box and providing us with plenty of options to keep ourselves busy.

Movie Nights

Probably the easiest at-home event to plan and can be done on any budget.  Get together with your family or flatmates and pick your movie.  Add to the fun by dressing up as characters from the film, why not use the theme of the film for your food and drink for the night.   Move your furniture around, pop a couple of comfy chairs in front of the TV, switch off all the lights and enjoy the cinema experience.

Take a class

Now could be the time to take up a new hobby, something you would never have tried before and can all be done from the comfort of your own home.  What about a weekly cocktail making class, wine-tasting, painting courses or jewellery making.

https://theblindpig.ie/virtual-cocktail-class/

https://www.skillshare.com/browse/painting

https://evoke.ie/2020/05/29/food/wine-clubs-virtual-tastings-ireland-2020

https://www.skillshare.com/browse/jewelry-making

Take up a guitar lessons

Always wanted to play that guitar that has been sitting in the attic for years, why not contact Ultimate School of Music who offer a number of different levels of guitar lessons for beginners and more experienced players, all done virtually so easy to access from the comfort of home – https://ultimateschoolofmusic.ie/ for more information.

Cultural Events

If you are looking to escape your own four walls for a while why not sign up for some of the many tours now available online from some of the top cultural venues in the world. Plan your day around the tour, block out the time so there are no disruptions.  Make yourself a cup of coffee or pour a glass of wine and sit back and enjoy.  If you can set up the virtual tour on your smart TV, all the better to fully immerse yourself in the experience.

https://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne

https://www.britishmuseum.org/closure

https://www.nationalgallery.ie/virtual-tour

Musical Events

No matter what your taste, there is a musical event online for everyone.  Take the time to look through all the options online and once you’ve made your choice, now is the time to start planning.  If you are signing up for a live stream of your favourite band or live concert film why not order some merchandise in advance such as T-Shirts or posters and decorate your room.  Designate an area of your house as a bar, so that you can have a drink while you’re waiting for the show to start, have a warm up playlist from Spotify on the go to get you in the mood.    Move through from the bar to the main event space (the livingroom?) produce your ticket and away you go. 

One of our very own favourite artists Christy Moore is playing in May from the National Concert Hall – could be a great night in!

https://www.nch.ie/Online/default.asp?BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=Whats-On-Livestreams&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::context_id=

If you’re more interested in the big concert feel, the Radio X website have compiled a brilliant list of must-see live concert films.

https://www.rollingstone.com/product-recommendations/lifestyle/best-concert-films-stream-online-1122430/

Missing the social interaction?

Why not join a virtual choir? Sing Ireland have great resources and a membership directory on their website should you decide to join up – https://www.singireland.ie/ for more details. For the moment, and hopefully not for too long, our homes are our living and entertainment spaces so why not fill them with something new and exciting.