Galway Theatre Festival, which was due to take place over a week in May, has been called off due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the public restrictions that come with it.
The 2020 Galway Theatre Festival was due to take place from May 1-9 with a range of full theatre performances, workshops, talks, and other events taking place around the city.
Each year it makes use of all the large venues in Galway such as the Town Hall, Mick Lally, Nuns’ Island, and Bank of Ireland Theatres.
“In response to the current COVID-19 situation, and after careful consideration, we have made the decision to cancel the Galway Theatre Festival,” a statement from the festivals organisers says.
Their priority must be the health and safety of artists, audiences, and the wider public in this time it read.
“We would like to thank the Arts Council, Galway City Council, Foras na Gaeilge and all our partners, funders, sponsors, volunteers, artists and friends for their continued support.
The board and organising team at the festivals said that supporting and celebrating artists is at the core of their mission, and they will continue to do so.
In the coming weeks and months they will continue to look at ways in which the festival’s programme can be presented to the public in a safe way.
“We will keep in touch with updates soon. Our thoughts are with the families and communities impacted by the COVID-19 virus.”
The cancellation comes as the government imposed more severe restrictions to limit the spread of Covid-19 this week, including all theatres to close until April 19 at least.
