Galway 2020 Opening Ceremony

Cancelled due to severe weather

The official opening ceremony of Galway 2020 will take place in South Park at the Claddagh on the 8th February 2020 at 5pm with gates open from 4pm. Crowds of up to 50,000 spectators are expected at the event.

The two-hour launch will raise the curtain for Galway’s European Capital of Culture year of events and will involve live music, pyrotechnics with fire and flame effects using a mixture of turf fires and gas flames. The ceremony will represent a timeless and authentic celebration of the people and traditions of Galway and Ireland, and will be delivered in a largescale dramatic explosion of sound and vision.

Seven hand-carved steel sculptures, the town spheres, each reflecting the stories and traditions of the Galway town they represent (Clifden, An Spidéal, Tuam, Ballinasloe, Portumna, Athenry and Galway) will be transformed by flame into giant glowing orbs, and will light up the length of the Galway headland overlooking Galway Bay. Galway’s fleet of iconic traditional boats, the Galway hookers, will assemble illuminated in the bay.

Spectators will view the launch from the green areas of South Park, with the spectacle located on the pathway close to the beach. A procession with fire and flames will start the event, leading into South Park (or ‘The Swamp’ as it is known locally) from the Claddagh Quay and Nimmo’s Pier.

Gates open at 4pm and entertainment commences at 5pm with live performances by Róisín Elsafty, Amazing Apples and No Crows. Plan to arrive early to ensure you find a space and are ready for the main event which starts at 6pm. The approximate end time is 7.45pm.

‘Fiery’ celebrations will begin in towns in County Galway, and they will then move into the open-air city event at Claddagh.

The event is being orgnised by Galway 2020 and produced with leading British events company, Wonder Works, who were involved in the opening ceremony of the London and Rio Olympic Games in 2012 and 2016.