IT’S almost that time of year again when the hordes descend on the town for the Festival. Fergus Dennehy point out five things that we’re guaranteed to see over the next week. 

1. Crowded Streets: Seriously, it’s frightening how long it can take you to walk the relatively short distance of The Mall and Denny Street during the festival on Saturday night.

You only truly start to appreciate the relative calm of the town when you find yourself shuffling and painstakingly making your way through the few people who stop and stare at the stalls during the day.

It takes all of our patience not to start pushing from behind. There’s always the chance we might not keep it together…

2. Bumping Into Someone You Haven’t Seen In Years: It’s just accepted as fact that if you live in town or are just visiting anytime over the festival that you’re guaranteed to bump into an old friend/long lost cousin/ex girlfriend who you haven’t seen in years.

While these meetings sometimes don’t go as smoothly as expected, it’s generally a great opportunity for a catch up and a laugh over a drink or two.

3. Teenagers In The Town Park: We all know the scene, you’re on your way to the ‘bazaar’, to enjoy the view from the big wheel, when you suddenly find yourself in a bit of an alien landscape.

With 40-50 teenagers milling around the tree at the entrance to the Brandon car park, it can be sometimes feel like a scene from ‘The Walking Dead’.

In reality however, they’re usually not as bad as the flesh-eating walkers in the hit show, with most of the gathered content on hanging out with their friends and enjoying the atmosphere.

4. Drinking In The Streets: The festival is one of the few times of the year when it universally acceptable to drink in the streets with The Square being the central hub for most of the action.

Don’t get us wrong, pubs are great and we’ve all had some mighty nights in them over the years. There’s something to be said though about the freedom of having a can as you either watch some of the best local musicians play their heart on stage or just wander around and soak it all in.

Just make sure you don’t leave a mess behind you is all…

5. Great Atmosphere: While there can be a lot of different things said about the ‘Rose of Tralee Festival’, there is no denying that it brings a great buzz and a bit of old fashioned craic to the town.

What with everything that’s on for all ages, the atmosphere around town is always guaranteed to leave you with a smile on your face.