Galway International Arts Festival

The festival began in 1978 and has grown into the largest multi-disciplinary arts festival in Ireland, running for two weeks each July across theatres, galleries, warehouses and the streets. Theatre is its strongest suit: Druid, the Galway company founded in 1975, has premiered work here that went on to Broadway and the West End, and the festival's Big Top - a temporary tented venue in Fisheries Field - hosts music and large-scale theatre for the fortnight. Macnas, the spectacle company that came out of the same scene, makes the annual street parade with giant puppets, and that is free and draws tens of thousands. Visual arts programmes occupy empty buildings around the city. The practical difficulty is accommodation: Galway is small, the festival overlaps with the Races in some years, and prices rise steeply. Book months ahead or stay outside the city.

What you actually see

• The theatre programme - Druid and international companies, premieres included.
• The Big Top - a temporary tented venue for music and large-scale work.
• The Macnas parade - free street spectacle with giant puppets.
• The visual arts - installations in empty buildings across the city.

When to go

July, for two weeks. Book tickets and accommodation months ahead - the city fills completely, and prices rise sharply for the duration.

Honest expectations

Accommodation is scarce and expensive during the festival; Galway is a small city. Popular shows sell out early. Street events are crowded. Weather affects the outdoor programme.

Nearby

The Galway Races follow at the end of July; Connemara and the Aran ferries are west.