There are nights when I wake up in a cold sweat dreaming I’m watching an endless loop of David Lynch’s Inland Revenue or Lars von Trier’s Dogville. They might not be the longest films I’ve ever seen at the cinema, but they sure felt like it. 

But then again, I’ve never sat through a Wagner opera. Can you even imagine what it must be like to watch something lasting nearly six hours. That’s like spending a whole day at work fidgeting. This week’s preview of his opera Parsifal  even includes quotes from composers who were dragged to watch this thing as a kid. One of them, Max Reger, watched it aged 15 and spent the next two weeks crying. I’m not surprised, I don’t think I would ever speak to my parents again either.

It’s funny though, but we wouldn’t bat an eyelid about attending an event that lasts six hours, providing it involves copious amounts of alcohol.  For example, Floor Wars, over two nights, lasts a staggering 15 hours, and conversely it’s the performers who spend most of the night fidgeting. 

Apparently they talk as well. To be honest I started getting lost when the ‘Red Bull BC One winner’ was mentioned, and gave up trying to understand once I read about the ‘1vs1 B-boy Battle’. Boy-on-boy action is where I draw the line. 

Instead I might try out the St Patrick’s Day festivities – even if I don’t walk with the parade, it should be easy to find (details of a map of the route) – after all, it’s normally on a weekday and half the fun’s over by the time we finish work. 

Nevertheless, the participation numbers in the Three-legged Race grow and grow every year, despite the 2008 edition taking part in a blizzard, as does the final amount donated to charity. In a city where many events struggle to survive, it continues to go from strength to strength. 

One of the keys to this success, I guess, is making sure it doesn’t last six hours, although it did for one unlucky pair in the aforementioned blizzard!