- Galway Arts Festival
The Galway Arts Festival ("Féile Ealaíon na Gaillimhe") takes place in
Galway, Ireland every July. It first began in1978 and since has grown into one of the biggest arts festivals inEurope . It attracts international artists as well as providing a platform for local and national performers also. The Festival includesparade s, street performances and numerous plays, musical concerts and comedy acts. It is organized by Galway Arts Festival Ltd. which is a registered charity and a non-profit organization.The festival was founded in 1978 by
Ollie Jennings and fellow students ofNUI Galway . As such, it was an outgrowth of the Arts Society in the college. The society had staged some theatre shows and concerts, and when they left college they continued this tradition, with the help of an Arts Council grant of 1,000 pounds in 1978.The formation of the festival tied in with the creation ofMacnas and theDruid theatre group. The original festival was held in Spring, usually early May, but switched to its current calendar position, the two weeks before theGalway Races due to exam pressure in the University and the availability of volunteers.Over the years the Festival has developed a reputation to rival the near-hedonistic atmosphere which envelopes the city of Galway during those weeks. Highlights of the festival tend to be
Macnas andDruid performances, two large local performance groups.Gallery
External links
* [http://www.galwayartsfestival.com/ GalwayArtsFestival.com - Official site]
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