An initiative of the Galway City Council Climate Action Team, Galway Climate Festival aims to do something a little different and engage the arts and cultural strengths of Galway to create positive climate actions within the city. Opening on September 12, the festival will deliver 3 full days of events in a variety of venues in the city centre from 13-15 September.
Many events are free of charge, see GalwayClimateFestival.ie
This includes a ‘Playful Streets’, which will transform Middle Street with a full free programme of games, pop-up street theatre, face painting, art, circus, and musical performances all aimed at prompting climate conversations.
Highlights on Saturday 14 September include:
- Cellisimo’s ‘Galway Bay is Calling’ (1:30pm) from the steps of St. Augustine’s Church;
- Fregolis bilingual street theatre (various times on Middle Street); and
- a ‘kidical mass’ family cycle through the streets of Galway (11am, meet at Charlie Byrne’s Book Shop on Middle Street).
A series of talks and panel discussions taking place in An Taibhdhearc on Friday 13 September and Saturday 14 September will look at a variety of topics including:
- Business Session - ‘’Carbon Zero by 2030?’’ on Friday at 3pm
- “Sponge City - adapting to more rain, more of the time in Irish towns and cities” facilitated by Irish Times journalist Ella McSweeney - Saturday at 10am
- Sport and Climate Action - How can sports clubs lead the way in climate action; Facilitated by Joe Brolly - Saturday at 12pm.
There will be laughs a plenty on Friday night at 8pm with Comedian Colm O’Regan at ‘’What type of climate worrier are you?’’ in An Taibhdhearc, Middle Street. This will be followed by free storytelling from Moth and Butterfly in the bar and then DJ’s Ferdilicious and Cush playing some house music and laid back grooves.
On Saturday at 2pm a family friendly bilingual concert with modern day Irish bard John Spillane will see John sing some nature-inspired songs, including his hit ‘The Dance of the Cherry Trees’.
Field trips on the Friday 13 and Saturday 14 September include:
- Friday, 2.30–5:30pm - a free energy efficiency and housing retrofit drop-in clinic at Westside Resource Centre
- Friday, 6:15pm - ‘Airs and Space - an interactive walk through Galway’s atmosphere and soundscapes from Westside Community Centre to the city centre
- Saturday 12pm - two talks taking place simultaneously regarding the success of the Grattan Sand Dune project at Grattan Beach and the Ballyloughane Dexter cows project at Ballyloughane.
On Saturday at 4pm there will a conversation between Mary Robinson and Philip Boucher Hayes, followed by Féasta at the Printworks - an opportunity for people to enjoy some of the best local sustainably produced food in Galway at a long table pop up and curated by Michelin Star chef Enda McEvoy and Hinterland West. This will be followed by DJ Will Softly in An Taibhdhearc festival club.
Sunday 15 September sees Middle Street turning into a second-hand flea market with music from Music Generation, 10-piece Dublin funk brass band Stomp town brass at 3:45pm and La Orquesta Kalamares at 5.30pm.
For further information visit www.GalwayClimateFestival.ie or email Climate@GalwayCity.ie