Eastside Arts Festival is an exciting new, community-led festival for Galway City East, funded through the Council’s Creative Ireland Programme – which aims to celebrate the rich diversity of Eastside communities through arts and culture.
Guided by the themes ‘Home’, ‘Colours’, ‘Listening’, ‘Movement’, the Festival aims to celebrate the diversity and community spirit of East Galway, bridge divides with a focus on inclusion, accessibility and sustainability, and build and strengthen relationships by connecting people in creative ways.
An exciting intergenerational festival programme integrates visual arts, performing arts, interactive workshops, and nature-based activities. Highlights include storytelling in primary schools with Niall de Búrca and Lucy Desmond Kelly, exhibitions of artwork by local artists, a local history talk, an upcycling workshop, a community food event, and a host of live music and dance events.
Mayor of the City of Galway, Councillor Peter Keane, said at the launch: “This is an exciting development for the east side of the city and a fantastic opportunity for celebrating and sharing the rich creativity and cultures of the diverse communities that live and work here. It is a great demonstration of how Galway City Council is engaging with local communities to support their development through creativity. May it continue for many years to come.”
Artist Caroline Stanley added “As a person who has been involved in creative practices through the medium of music, writing and drama here in Doughiska, it is wonderful to see a festival that showcases a wide variety of skills and creative practices in the communities of the Eastside. I have seen incredible talent emerge from these communities over the years and this festival is another opportunity to highlight those talents and be proud of who we all are.”
The Festival is driven by a steering committee representing Galway City Council, Galway Library Service, Galway City Partnership, Ballybane Community Resource Centre, ARD Family Resource Centre, Brothers of Charity Services Ireland, Galway Traveller Movement, SCCUL Enterprise Centre, in conjunction with Amicitia Social Enterprise.
The Festival was launched at an event on 1 October by the Mayor of the City of Galway, Councillor Peter Keane. The Festival will run from Friday 11 October and Saturday 12 October in Ballybane Library, Ballybane Community Resource Centre, ARD Family Resource Centre, SCCUL Enterprise Centre and other locations in Ballybane and Doughiska.
The Festival has been informed by a series of consultation sessions led by Amicitia in Ballybane and Doughiska in April and May, which gathered feedback and ideas from community members and local creatives.
Eastside Arts Festival is funded by Galway City Council through Creative Communities, an initiative from the Creative Ireland Programme, Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media; additional funding has been provided by Galway Library Service, and Galway City Partnership.
