Your monthly round-up from the Culture Lab at Bricolage.
Your monthly round-up from the Culture Lab at Bricolage.
Gen Z drinking
Emily Stewart for Business Insider has confirmed Gen Z are in fact not drinking less alcohol, they’ve just ‘taken their time’ to get into it. Tom Smyth for The Cut has named the classic Vodka-Cran the drink of the summer, touching on its relevance and resurgence in popular culture, including in Olivia Rodrigro’s ‘Expectations’ from her latest album.
Surfer culture
Marie Claire has declared 2026 “board short summer”, describing how women are dressing in surfer shorts, despite not actually partaking in the activity itself. Morwenna Ferrier for The Guardian explains the drive behind this trend and how it’s about borrowing from surf culture as a shorthand for freedom, simplicity and opting out of hustle culture: “Spiritually, it’s about feeling grounded with the sand between your toes, rather than what gen Z might call “touching grass.”
‘Competitive Socialising’
Una Mullally for the Irish Times on how socialising in Dublin is changing with the rise in popularity of competition-based activities, like VR, pool halls, karaoke, beer pong, darts and escape rooms. This is seen in the UK, too – Ammar Kalia for the Guardian explains that when hospitality becomes more expensive, consumers are expecting more than just a drink.
Cinema
Isabel Fattal for The Atlantic on films and our attention spans as recent blockbusters are spanning 3 hours, referencing an article by Xochitl Gonzalez on ‘The Attention-Span Class Divide’ with a majority of Americans considering going to the cinema a luxury, but millions of people watch micro-dramas on TikTok.
David Sims for the Atlantic on the Odyssey which he describes as ‘a visual extravaganza shot entirely in IMAX and best seen projected onto a mountain-size screen.’
Trends & Innovation
PROPER snacks has revealed new launches inspired by consumers’ growing appetite for spicy flavours. Similarly, Blue Moon has teamed up with Franks Redhot to introduce a ‘Spicy Orange Challenge’ which dares fans to take a bite of Blue Moon’s spicy orange before taking their first sip of their Blue Moon refreshing beer.
Culture IRL
RePlay Festival 2026 (August 15th) Dublin
A new street arts festival which celebrates street culture held in South Dublin County Council’s brand new space, Parthalán Place in Tallaght. This aims to transform the place into a vibrant hub of skateboarding, BMX, roller skating, street art, music, dance and performance.
Big Grill BBQ & Food Festival (August 13th-16th) Dublin
Visit this festival to see the best Irish and international chefs, restaurants and barbecue experts come together. There will be local craft breweries, cocktail bars, dining experiences, live music, and DJs, with lots of samples and giveaways happening too.
Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2026 (August 2nd-9th) Belfast
Ireland’s annual traditional Irish music festival, with hundreds of free performances, sessions and street entertainment.
Kilkenny Arts Festival (August 6th-16th) Kilkenny
One of the leading festivals in Ireland, spanning visual art, architecture, music, literature and performance.
Boyne Valley International Film Festival (August 7th-9th) Drogheda, Co. Louth
Returning to Drogheda for its fifth year, this festival brings together Irish and international filmmakers for a weekend of screenings, Q&As, workshops and industry conversations.
