Baboró children’s arts festival promises to enthrall young minds

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Galway Daily arts & culture Baboro Arts Festival for children 2019 programme
The 2019 Baboró International Arts Festival takes place in Galway from 14-20 October. A varied international programme will feature ten theatre and dance productions from Australia, Belgium, France, Scotland and the Netherlands including Tiger Tale from Barrowland Ballet in Scotland, featuring captivating dance and a pulsing soundtrack, which sees everything change for the better when a troubled family’s world is turned upside down when a tiger invades. Photo: Brian Hartley

With 50 events specifically for children throughout the week across music, theatre, art, dance, and just plain fun, Baboró International Arts Festival for Children is putting on a bigger and better show than ever this year.

The Baboró launched the full programme of events for the coming 2019 Children’s Arts Festival this week, with a promise of world-class, enthralling and thought-provoking work for audiences ranging from tots to teens, created by amazing artists the world over.

Ireland’s flagship festival devoted exclusively to children and families, the 23rd annual Baboró Festival will be coming to Galway for seven days from October 14 – 20.

Artists from Australia, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Scotland and Ireland will present a feast of over 50 events across Galway city and county during the week-long arts festival.

After establishing itself as the creative delight for children aged 0-12, Baboró is taking a step towards a new audience with productions for pre-teens and teens.

Just some of the events taking place include a new world premiere dance show from CoisCéim, a co-production with Music for Galway, theatre and dance shows from Ireland and all around the world, creative workshops for children and families and a rainbow in a box at Galway’s landmark Spanish Arch.

Determined not to cluster events into just a few locations, Baboró will be spreading the fun across Galway city in a variety of venues including theatres and libraries.

Out in the county people can expect to catch great shows and other events in towns including Clifden, Ballinasloe, Tuam, Cleggan and Inishbofin.

There are also free events for families and schools including exhibitions, installations, and workshops as well as readings in libraries.

Commenting on the 2019 festival programme, Executive Artistic Director, Aislinn Ó hEocha says, “We’re delighted to share our 2019 programme with children, families and schools, and are very excited to bring extraordinary creative experiences from all across the world to curious young minds this October.”

“We look forward to welcoming artists from as far afield as Adelaide and as close to home as Salthill,” she added.

Aislinn Ó hEocha went on to say that she hopes the programme will “enthrall, excite and delight while filling our hearts with stories from near and far.”

“We’re very grateful for the support of our main funders The Arts Council and Galway City & County Council. We’d also like to thank our premier sponsor Medtronic, our Major Sponsor TG4 and the business community, for their generous support.”

An arts festival for everyone

Baboró is putting on a huge array of events this year which includes productions in theatre, dance, music, visual arts, literature, film, puppetry and creative workshops for children and families.

This year Irish work includes the world premiere of a new dance show from CoisCéim which celebrates individuality, Francis Footwork.

Francis Footwork, Baboró Arts Festival for Children, photo credit: Hugo Glendinning

This show (6+) tells an empowering tale of an extraordinary dancer and is the company’s second show for young audiences following on from the world premiere of The Wolf and Peter at the 2015 Baboró festival.

Music for Galway and Baboró come together for the first time to present a music show based on Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saëns, one of the most popular pieces of classical music ever composed.

From world artists, Galway will host No Man Is An Island (all ages), a dance duet from Arch8 in The Netherlands is an exquisite play on the children’s game of walking on paving slabs, stumps or furniture, without falling into the ‘sea’.

While Stick By Me from Andy Manley and Red Bridge Arts (ages 3-6) in Scotland is a beautifully crafted, hilarious and joyful show about friendship, invention, play and the importance of treasuring the little things.

Stick By Me, Baboró Arts Festival for Children. photo credit: Mihela Bodlovic

For the Visual Arts programme Baboró has been thinking well outside the picture frame and is offering young people the chance to walk inside a rainbow.

This will come when the festival presents Cathal McCarthy’s Rainbow in a Box, fresh from its premiere at Dublin Fringe Festiva

In film there will be a screening for ages 8+ of Academy Award-winning Spirited Away, from the much loved master of Japanese anime, Hayao Miyazaki, and for ages 4 to 7 years there’s a screening of Is Mise… a TG4 TV series following four young presenters.

There are plenty of practical workshops for children that explore where science and art meet including a Robotics Workshop by Designer Minds, or the Creative Connections stand sponsored by Medtronic.

There are also a number of events being staged for the adults accompanying their manic children such an aspiring writers workshop with authors Patricia Forde and Dave Rudden, a dance workshop, and more.

For a better look at all the fun which will be taking place throughout Galway this October or to book tickets check out the full programme online here.