Carlow Arts Festival back this year with theatre, music and more
Acclaimed Spanish artist Joan Català will host an outdoor performance as part of the opening ceremony for Carlow Arts Festival
The 45th annual Carlow Arts Festival will open to the public from next Wednesday 5 June and continue until Sunday 9 June. Anticipated to attract over 25,000 locals and visitors, this year’s festival offers an impressive lineup of more than 80 events spanning various art forms from dance and literature to theatre, circus and the visual arts.
To kick off the festivities, the opening performance will feature a free outdoor interactive show called created by acclaimed Spanish artist Joan Català, which will take place on the grounds of Carlow College on Thursday 6 June 6th at 7:45pm.
Throughout the festival a continuous stream of entertainment will take place inside the O’Hara’s Big Top tent with Carlow Live & Local showcasing local music acts including Eric de Buitléir, Danny Carthy and Tumbling Dice.
The Yurt is a brand-new venue for the 2024 festival, showcasing the work of Carlow comedians, musicians, lecturers, poets, and more. On Friday 7 June, writer Clifton Redmond will host Éigse: Voices in the Crowd, an evening celebrating local poets.
Performance artist Barry Fitzgerald, originally from Tullow, will present a special preview of their new show on Saturday 8 June. Elsewhere, the annual Carnival of Collective Joy, which honours the imaginative spirit of school children throughout the county, will commence on Saturday 8 June, starting from Carlow College at 1:30pm.
Carlow County Council have supported a number of this year’s projects including First Light by Kilkenny based Asylum Productions.
A collaboration with the local community, this immersive indoor and outdoor street theatre experience, will take place each evening across the festival weekend.
Elsewhere on this year’s programme, the esteemed UK circus company, Gandini Juggling, will present their award-winning show on Friday 7 June at Visual Theatre. On Sunday 9 June, renowned storyteller Aindrias de Staic will present By the Light of the Silvery Moon an enchanting evening of Irish stories told through words and music.
A host of family fun events will take place throughout the fifth day of the festival from dance classes, samba drumming workshops and outdoor cinema screenings.
“With something for people of all ages and backgrounds to enjoy, I would encourage everyone to immerse themselves in this year’s programme and come and be inspired," said the festival’s artistic director Benjamin Perchet
Many events are free but booking is required. A Music Pass is available granting access to all music events with a day pass priced at €15 and a weekend pass priced at €35. See: www.carlowartsfestival.ie
