Another June 16, another Bloomsday. Are you ready?

James Joyce fans know June 16 was the day Leopold Bloom walked the streets of Dublin, Ireland, in “Ulysses.” The famous modernist novel has gone from being the object of obscenity charges in 1933 to being celebrated around the world. Here’s how you can participate:

In Los Angeles, the Hammer Museum holds its sixth annual Bloomsday celebration. Actors read, musicians play Irish tunes, and Guinness is served up in the courtyard. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. and is free; parking is $3.

In Dublin, the Bloomsday celebration began last week. It included 150 cyclists touring Bloom’s route in Edwardian outfits, a literary salon, a pub crawl, and a sold-out conversation between comedian Stephen Fry and popular Irish politician David Norris. Norris told the Irish Times that Dublin’s celebration of Bloomsday is “a mass event, good-natured, well-behaved, full of nostalgia and with more than a nod in the direction of the great book.”


In Philadelphia, celebrations are already underway at the Rosenbach Free Library, which holds Joyce’s original “Ulysses” manuscript in its collection. On June 16, authors, actors and cultural leaders will participate in a marathon reading of the entire novel, for free.

In New York, Symphony Space celebrates the 34th annual Bloomsday on Broadway. Hosted by Belinda McKeon, actors Lisa Flanagan and Malachy McCourt are joined by Terry Donnelly, Paul Muldoon, Colum McCann, Gabriel Byrne and others. Tickets are $26.

In New Orleans, the Irish House, a gastropub, hosts a “Ulysses” event with authors Brian Boyles, Yurri Herrara, Mwende “Freequency” Katwiwa, Maurice Carlos Ruffins, Benjamin Morris, Katy Simpson Smith, and six slots open for attendees. The event is free; Joyce-inspired food and drink is not.

In Montreal, several days of events, which include Irish dancers, conclude with a lecture by Kevin Birmingham, author of 2014’s “The Most Dangerous Book: The Battle for James Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’,” preceded by an Irish harp performance. Tickets are $10.


In Melbourne, Australia, the Bloomsday celebration focuses on James Joyce and film, culminates with a dinner ($45) that includes a seminar, short films and an original play.

On the island of Cyprus, the Soloneion Book Centre in the capitol city of Nicosia will hold a reading of Joyce and W.B. Yeats, with the help of the Irish embassy.

In Pula, Croatia, where Joyce lived and taught English in 1904, a group of Joyce fans will celebrate with readings, dance, and a cocktail night. ( What must it have been like to be a Croatian learning English from James Joyce?)

Twitter: @paperhaus