Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture
Great News! Galway has been elected to the prestigious role of European Capital of Culture. This role will enable Galway to enrol the whole of the county in its programme of events that will take place during the whole year, so no matter where or when you visit Galway city or county there will be something for you to do or see.
Throughout this Galway 2020 programme, the themes of language, landscape and migration come to life. Structured around the old Celtic calendar of Imbolc, Bealtaine, Lughnasa and Samhain, Galway 2020 begins in February and runs through until the end of January 2021.
Starting on 2 February in Clifden, fiery celebrations will erupt in towns across the county over seven consecutive nights. Moving ever closer to the city through the first week of Imbolc, with events in Clifden, Spiddal, Tuam, Ballinasloe, Portumna and Athenry.
Imbolc offers fruitful activities and epic sights, as Kari Kola’s Savage Beauty illuminates the Connemara landscape and Druid Theatre’s Galway Tour begins an intimate exploration of great Irish writing and the hidden towns and islands of the county.
The lively festival of Bealtaine sees us feasting with friends, fanning the flames of May Day bonfires and setting good intentions for the months ahead.
Project Baa Baa reconnects us with the Celtic calendar’s agrarian roots in an ode to the role of sheep in Irish society, while innovative projects like Macnas’s Gilgamesh, David Best’s Borderline and Galway Theatre Festival’s InterAction keep our eyes fixed firmly on the future.
Lughnasa bears the name of Celtic god Lugh – a warrior, craftsman and inventor of games. With the alchemy of Cie Carabosse’s Fire Garden and balancing acts
of Galway Community Circus’s Wires Crossed, Lughnasa proves that mastery and merriment make for good bedfellows.
Comhaltas celebrates the beauty of traditional Irish culture, while Nighthouse Studio’s Unsung promises a moving contemporary tribute to Galway’s lost children. Ancient customs are honoured and new values embraced, as we light the way forward in an unforgettable Lumiere Galway closing event.
All through these events there is a great oppertunity to take part or just go along to see what is going on. The Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture website www.galway2020.ie has masses of information and will update as events unfold.
Imbolc is the period February to April, Bealtain May- July, Lughnasa August to October, Samhain November January
