Galway International Arts Festival 2018

A vibrant university city, a UNESCO City of Film, Galway hosts the European Region of Gastronomy in 2018 and will become the European Capital of Culture in 2020.

Easily accessible from Dublin and Shannon Airports, visitors to Galway can explore the city’s rich heritage, enjoy spectacular views of Galway Bay, take cruises on the River Corrib or tour out along the Wild Atlantic Way. They can soak up the scenery in Connemara, enter another world on the Aran islands or take in the Cliffs of Moher.

But for two packed weeks every year, over 210,000 visitors and locals enjoy the key cultural event on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. Named by The Guardian as ‘One of the Top Five Summer Festivals in Europe’ in 2017, Galway International Arts Festival includes music, theatre, street, dance, opera, the visual arts and an extensive talks programme.

Visitors can hear Ireland’s finest traditional musicians and experience exhibitions by internationally renowned and emerging visual artists who have taken up residency in festival galleries.
They can come face-to-face with fire-breathing dragons, hear giant, soprano-singing divas on cobblestone streets, watch the curtain rise and fall on international world premieres, catch new Irish theatre before it goes on to tour the globe, see world-class dance acts, genre bending opera and top international music acts.

By night, they can eat in top-rated restaurants (including Michelin starred restaurants), an array of quirky local eateries and enjoy a fire-side drink in Galway’s cosy city centre bars.

They can then retire to a wide offering of accommodation options around the city and wake up to do it all over again.

About GIAF
Galway International Arts Festival is a major cultural organization, which produces one of Europe’s leading international arts festivals; develops and produces new work that tours nationally and internationally; and presents a major discussion platform, First Thought Talks.

The 41st Galway International Arts Festival takes place from 16-29 July 2018 and will feature the very best of the performing and visual arts from Ireland and around the world, with an international programme of theatre, dance, circus, exhibitions, spectacle, music, comedy, talks and discussions.

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