Fun for all the family at Galway Arts Festival

There’s a host of family shows for children of all ages at this year’s Galway Arts Festival (July 12-25) with spectacular outdoor street theatre, the renowned annual Macnas Festival Parade, and a free visual arts programme.

Galway children’s theatre company Cups and Crowns present The Magnificent Mind of Daisy Dunne a beautiful new show telling the story of Daisy who becomes devoted to finding answers to the world’s most puzzling questions. This is a wonderful and original story about a gifted girl and her extraordinary friend. The Magnificent Mind of Daisy Dunne performs at Bailey Allen Wing (beside Bank of Ireland Theatre), NUI Galway from 13th – 17th July at 11am and 2pm. Family Ticket €26.

The Festival also presents two shows filled with imaginative story-telling that chart the story of Apollo 11’s journey to the moon. Oxford Playhouse’s One Small Step takes us on an action-packed trip to the moon and beyond, is full of emotion, epic achievements and humour and will appeal to children of all ages.

Andrew Dawson’s Space Panorama is a sparkling recreation of the Apollo 11 moon landing where audiences are brought from Houston to the moon and safely back to Earth. Space Panorama performs to packed audiences around the world, has been described as “astonishing” by The New York Times and, according to Festival Director Paul Fahy, is guaranteed to leave a smile on your face several days later.

One Small Step performs at the Black Box Theatre on Tuesday, July 13, and Thursday, July 15 July at 2pm and on Wednesday, 14 and Friday, July 16 at 11am and 2pm. Family Ticket €32Space Panorama performs at Town Hall Theatre on Thursday, July 22 and Friday, July 23 at 1pm and 3pm and Saturday, July 24 at 12pm and 2pm. Family Ticket €26.

This year’s Arts Festival Parade is a day-time event, entitled The Wild Hunt under the direction of the company’s Artistic Director Noeline Kavanagh. Spectators can madness, magic and mayhem as a cast of over 300 performers take to the streets for what promises to be a fantastic event. It’s on Sunday, July 18 at 2pm on the streets of Galway and, as always, is free.

For more, read this week's Galway City Tribune.