Three Years Supporting Athlone African Day — Marquees, Bouncy Castles & Community
Since 2023, Grand Occasion Rentals has supplied marquees, bouncy castles, tables and chairs to the Athlone African Community Group for their annual African Day festival. Here is what it has been like.
By Grand Occasion Rentals
Three Years, One Community, Countless Memories
Since 2023, Grand Occasion Rentals has been part of something really special in Athlone. Every summer, the Athlone African Community Group brings together hundreds of families from across the Midlands for their annual African Day — a full day of music, dance, food, and culture. And every year, we show up with our vans packed with marquees, tables, chairs, and bouncy castles to help make it happen.
Three years in, it is genuinely one of our favourite events of the year.
What Makes African Day in Athlone So Special
There is no shortage of summer events in Ireland, but African Day in Athlone has an energy that is hard to match. The performances are what really stand out — every year the stage comes alive with traditional African dance, live drumming, and cultural showcases that you simply do not see anywhere else in the Midlands. The crowd feeds off it. By mid-afternoon the whole field is buzzing.
The Athlone African Community Group, whose mission centres on Integration, Community & Partnership, have built something genuinely worth celebrating. Watching it grow from year to year has been a real privilege.
What We Supplied
Each year our job is to make sure the physical setup is ready before the first family walks through the gate. That means:
- Marquees — sheltered spaces for food stalls, seating, and performances, essential for any Irish outdoor event
- Tables and chairs — seating for hundreds of guests throughout the day
- Bouncy castles — keeping the kids entertained while the adults enjoy the performances and food
It takes an early start and a good team, but seeing it all come together is always worth it.
A Glimpse of the Day
Words only go so far — here is what the setup looked like on the day, and a short video from the event.
Planning a Community Event in the Midlands?
If you are organising a community festival, cultural celebration, school sports day, or any outdoor event in Athlone, Westmeath, Roscommon, Offaly or anywhere across the Midlands, we would love to be part of it.
Grand Occasion Rentals supplies marquee hire, bouncy castle hire, table and chair hire, and full event packages across Leinster and the Midlands. We are used to working with community groups, GAA clubs, schools, and private clients — and we always show up on time.
Get in touch today for a free quote. We are already looking forward to African Day 2026.
