On Thursday evening, protesters gathered outside of the Holiday Inn on O'Connell Street, Dublin to show their passion and dedication to Fibber Magees – a place that's served as a home to alternative arts and culture for over 43 years. Adorned with hand-painted signs reading 'THEY ARE DESTROYING CULTURE' and 'SAVE FIBBERS', the large crowd chanted and sang together in celebration of their beloved venue, creating a scene that no onlooker or hotel employee could ignore.

Dublin City Council has recently approved planning permission for the Holiday Inn to expand, meaning the ultimate destruction of the O'Connell Street beer garden that so many hold dear. This beer garden connects Murray's Pub, Fibber Magee's and the Living Room, and has been the safe space for alternative Dubliners to come together as a community for years.

Rock for Culture protest for Fibbers, August 2022. Copyright Emily Greenberg/hotpress.com

The sudden notice of its demise sparked an outrage, and the customers that calls Fibbers a centre for their culture are not going down without a fight. Along with a petition including over 10,000 signatures, passionate fans organised the Rock for Culture Protest using the footpath outside the Holiday Inn to showcase the variation of art, culture and community that takes place underneath Fibbers' roof.

The protest was aimed to peacefully disturb the hotel while celebrating the culture of the beer garden. To demonstrate the art that lives at Fibbers, organisers made a performance out of the protest with Fibbers DJ Colleen Heavy, a drag show by Dublin drag queen Coco Ri, music by The Deadlians and burlesque by 24 Cara Gold. Ciara Ní É, a gaeilgeoir, also came to the stand to speak to protesters in the national language in order to highlight Irish culture. Although the sun was viciously beating down on protesters dressed mostly in black, everyone was lively and supportive in their participation towards the movement, clearly revealing how passionate they felt about the future of the beer garden.

Rock for Culture protest for Fibbers, August 2022. Copyright Emily Greenberg/hotpress.com

"It's basically home," one protester said with eyes shrouded in black makeup and a painted sign in hand. "Everyone is always so welcoming; I don't know any other place that has a sense of community like Fibbers."

The protest concluded with the promise that, if the hotel's expansion plans weren't changed, the protesters would come back the next month to once again demand the safety of the venue.

You can sign the petition to save the O'Connell Street Beer garden here.

Rock for Culture protest for Fibbers, August 2022. Copyright Emily Greenberg/hotpress.com