Galway Community Circus are holding their fourth annual Mayhem Youth Circus Festival this month, with amazing events for all ages.
The festival features three public events including performances and an open circus workshop day, and best off, most events are free.
“We’re delighted to bring the Mayhem Youth Circus Festival back for a fourth year. It’s our annual festival celebrating youth circus, and we’re so happy to bring the magic of circus to our community with free performances and events.”
“Whether you want to see circus, learn circus or share circus – Mayhem is for you!” said Ulla Hokkanen, Executive Creative Director at Galway Community Circus.
Events that are open to the public include ‘Chimera’, a performance by the Galway Community Circus Youth Ensemble on Friday, 21st May at 6pm, Circus in the Park on 28 May from 9am-4pm, and Scratch Night on 28 May at 6:30pm.
Circus delights
‘Chimera’ is a delightful tribute to an enchanting world of playful magic featuring a lively cast of characters that embark on a journey to explore childhood’s joys and challenges.
Created and performed by Galway Community Circus members aged 15-24, this show reminds you that toys are not just for children.
The Galway Community Circus Youth Ensemble is supported by Arts Council Ireland. Tickets are €8-€11 and all ages are welcome to attend.
The ‘Circus in the Park’ event offers free circus workshops for children and young people under the Big Top tent in Fr Burke Park.
Workshops will include introductory circus activities where participants will play fun games, learn new skills such as acrobatics and juggling and make new friends.
Workshops are for ages 5-24 and will run each hour from 9am-12pm and 1pm-3pm. All workshops are free of charge but require a booking. Parents/guardians are welcome to participate but are not required to.
Scratch Night is a cabaret-style performance opportunity, similar to an open mic night, where artists perform a sequence or routine of their own creation.
The event is an informal circus show and offers a safe and welcoming atmosphere for those who want to grow and experiment with the art of performance.
Scratch Night is free. All are welcome to attend and ages 12+ to adult artists are invited to perform.
This year’s Mayhem Youth Circus Festival will also feature a ‘Circus Explored’ Youth Exchange that will bring young circus delegates from Circusful in Belfast and In Your Space Circus in Derry down to Galway for a weekend exchange with their peers.
Circus Explored aims to connect young circus enthusiasts and forge links between youth circus organisations from all corners of the island through the ISACS Network as part of the Shared Island Initiative.
Most events are offered entirely free of charge, thanks to support from funding partners Arts Council Ireland, Erasmus+, Galway City Council and Creative Ireland. For more information visit www.galwaycommunitycircus.com.
