Galway International Arts Festival has been connecting audiences and artists for almost four decades.
Founded in 1978, it has grown into an event with a major reputation where, in 2016, there were 200,000 attendances at 200 performances, talks and exhibitions in 26 venues over 14 days.
Galway International Arts Festival presents and produces programmes of the highest quality across all art forms featuring theatre, music, visual arts, opera, street spectacle, dance, discussion and comedy.
Highlights from the programme in recent years include; Elvis Costello, The National, Primal Scream, Philip Glass, New York Dolls, David Gray, David Byrne, Brad Mehldau, Blondie, Kronos Quartet, Brodsky Quartet, Bon Iver, David Hockney, Joni Mitchell, St Vincent, Patricia Picinini, Henri Matisse and David Mach.
Visiting international theatre and dance companies have included John Mahoney and Northlight Theatre, Cillian Murphy, Enda Walsh, The Royal National Theatre, Propeller, The Royal Court, Steppenwolf, Fabulous Beast Dance Company, Hofesh Shechter Dance Company, The Abbey Theatre, Druid Theatre Company and the Bristol Old Vic.
The jam-packed 2022 Festival brings artists from across the globe to Ireland including the return of Chicago’s world-renowned Steppenwolf with Sam Shepard’s True West; from New York a breath–taking spectacle of illusion, choreography, music and storytelling from Geoff Sobelle with HOME; extraordinary theatre and opera awaits from Druid; Landmark Productions and Irish National Opera; the Gate Theatre and Theatre Lovett; a new immersive Room from Enda Walsh and Paul Fahy; 150 people from all walks of life will perform Europe’s largest highwire spectacle LifeLine over the River Corrib as street art and spectacle return to the streets of Galway; live music returns to Fisheries Field as the Heineken® Big Top hosts an extraordinary musical line up; a powerful new exhibition by Ana Maria Pacheco created especially for GIAF; Ireland’s Pavillion from the Venice Biennale of ArchitectureI; a new site-specific installation from John Gerard which will be unveiled on the Galway Docks; the Festival Garden is back in Eyre Square and Galway International Arts Festival’s thought leadership platform, First Thought returns exploring the big issues and challenges of the day.
