Festivals

The Galway Jazz Festival presents a weekend of leading local, national and international jazz artists in a broad range of venues, throughout Galway City. Annually, the aim is to foster jazz as a contemporary art form in the West. Jazz admirers will have plenty to choose from in a line up that includes artists from Norway, The US, Germany, The UK and Italy and the best of Irish artists. Venues include The Crane Bar, Druid Theatre and St Nicholas' Church. Takes place in November.

Enjoy four days and nights at the world renowned Galway International Oyster Festival. For the best in gourmet seafood, live music and the best Guinness in town, it has to be the Galway Oyster Festival. Every year in September, Galway City comes alive as thousands of people travel from the four corners of the world to enjoy a remarkable festival celebrating the oyster, a food known for it’s mysterious luxury and passion.

The Galway Sessions Festival of music takes place all over Galway city and includes some of the best in world renowned artists. Held annually, a good time and plenty of craic is assured for all. The main music sessions take place in Crane Bar, Róisín Dubh, Monroes Tavern, The Quays, Tigh Neachtáin, Tigh Cóilí, Taffees, Richardson's, M T Pockets and the Radisson SAS Hotel.

Galway's second annual theatre festival takes place from 20th to 25th October 2009. The Galway Theatre Festival provides an opportunity for emerging local and national theatre companies to showcase new and revised work. Shows take place throughout a wide variety of venues around the City of Galway including the Nuns’ Island Theatre, Town Hall Theatre and the Galway Arts Centre. The festival programme features a strong combination of new plays and established works by the likes of Brian Friel, Harold Pinter, and Neil LaBute. <br><br> Decadent Theatre Co present the latest play by Christian O’Reilly, Here We Are Again Still, which was commissioned by the Galway City Council. It is a moving and funny play about two broken men trying to make their way back from the margins. Mephisto stage Pat Hynes’ Wrecked, which was one of the scripts to receive a rehearsed reading at last year’s festival. Danu Theatre Company stage Dolores, the British and Irish premiere of American author Edward Callan Barker’s drama about spousal abuse, while Fregoli present Shane McDermott’s Dispersia, all about “a place full of lost things”. Also featuring in this year’s programme is Moonfish Theatre Co with its adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic story, The Secret Garden All in all, plenty to look forward to then and Galway Theatre Festival looks well set to build on the success of last year’s debut offering.

The Leenane Mountain Walking Festival takes place annually on the first weekend in May! Enjoy a unique combination of mountain and sea as Leenane is situated on the edge of Killary Harbour and surrounded by mountains in all directions. There are a number of guided walks each day with a level to suit everyone!

The LIFE Festival is a 3 day/night festival in different venues throughout Ireland which aims to encourage and stimulate youth culture from around the world in all its forms, including music, dance music, folk music, , drama, mime, juggling, cinema, poetry and all the creative forms of art and design, including ancestral sounds and those create with the latest new technologies.

<b>:: 2009 FESTIVAL CANCELLED ::</b><br> The Moondance Festival 2009 is a three day camping festival in the grounds of Petersburg House, Clonbur, Co. Galway on 14, 15, 16th August. Petersburg Outdoor Education Centre is an ideal location, providing ample space and facilities for a great weekend by the shores of Lough Mask.<br><br> Music acts confirmed so far include Lisa Hannigan, Jerry Fish & The Mudbug Club, Jape, Kila, Noelie Mc Donnell & Band , Mairtin O Connor and band, Guggenheim Grotto, Joe Fury & The Hayride, The Galway Gospel Choir, No Banjo, Timber Tramps, Brad Pitt Light Orchestra, with more acts soon to be announced. A family-friendly festival, Moondance is also offering arts workshops, yoga, theatre performance, storytelling, stand-up comedy , art exhibitions and the return of The Mask Ball.<br><br> Petersburg Outdoor Activity Centre will be providing opportunities for adults and children to partake in Canoeing, Kayaking and Windsurfing. There will be guided walks all weekend through the Clonbur Woods, with bicycle hire also available. Full camping facilities, with hot indoor showers, quality food, in a safe and secure environment - The perfect way to relax and chill amach in one of Ireland's most scenic locations.<br> <table width="400" align="center" border="0" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1"> <tr> <td><img src="http://galwaytourism.ie/UserFiles/Image/Kila.jpg" alt="Kila" alt="" width="200" height="166" /></td> <td><img src="http://galwaytourism.ie/UserFiles/Image/Jerry-Fish.jpg" alt="Jerry Fish" alt="" width="110" height="166" /></td> <td><img src="http://galwaytourism.ie/UserFiles/Image/Lisa-Hannigan.jpg" alt="Lisa Hannigan" alt="" width="110" height="166" /></td> </tr> </table>

Set amid the stunningly-beautiful scenery of Connemara, Roundstone Arts Week is held annually over 2 weekends in late June and early July. The festival provides a wide variety of events such as writer's workshops, art exhibitions, traditional music sessions, drama and activities for children.

Roundstone Summerfest is a festival of music, fun, laughter, activities and games for the young and the young-at-heart. A weekend where people can come and sample the beauty of the village of Roundstone and the warmth and friendliness of the inhabitants and fellow visitors.

The Salthill Air Show is a free air show held every summer along the Salthill Promenade on the shores of the famous Galway Bay, Ireland. The Salthill Air Show is one of the few FREE Air Show's in Europe. Around 100,000 spectators attend annually, what has been described as the equivalent of 4 days at the Galway Races. :: CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE ::

The Spirit of the Voice Festival in Galway is a popular cultural celebration of song and spoken word. The 2009 festival takes place in Kinvara on the 3rd November and in Galway on the 8 & 9th November. The festival covers a wide range of styles, with a huge number of performance of sean nós, rap, choirs, gospel, soul, slam, poetry, overtone, opera and storytelling taking place at many venues throughout the city including Galway City Museum, The Crane Bar and Áras na Gael, Dominick Street. This is Galway's multi-cultural festival which features song and spoken words from stylish voices that make this city a unique and refreshing place to be.<br><br> The festival is also a celebration of the growing diversity of culture within Ireland, with Asian, African, South American, Eastern European, Canadian and Caribbean Irish performers will take part. The festival includes Children's Storytelling at selected venues. Be assured that there will be an electric atmosphere on the streets of Galway for the duration of the festival.

Tedfest is the world's first Father Ted Festival. The now week long spectacular takes place every year in February on the picturesque Islands of Inis Mor (Inishmore) and Inis Oírr (Inishere) off the west coast of Ireland, with some events also taking place on the mainland in Galway.

Tuam Arts Festival, held in mid-August, is produced by award winning Earwig Arts with a mix of local, national and international spectacle, theatre, music, comedy literature, visual arts and family events. The two-week festival will feature some of the region's best known and loved acts, as well as shows by some of the country's top performers. The festival boasts itself as providing a great variety of local, national and international events, performing at a range of indoor and outdoor venues in the town.