The 2018 SeaFest which took place in Galway last year has been nominated for two awards in Ireland’s Event Industry Awards 2019.
Ireland’s largest maritime festival, SeaFest, has been shortlisted in two categories, ‘Best Live Event’ and ‘Best Cultural Event’.
The Event Industry Awards celebrate excellence and showcase the very highest standards of Ireland’s event industry.
SeaFest 2018 was held in Galway Harbour, attracting 103,416 festival-goers and generating €6.5 million for the city’s tourism industry.
Global event specialists, Arcana, were appointed event managers and worked with the Marine Institute and 16 local, regional and national organisations and agencies to stage the three-day festival.
Last year, SeaFest 2017, which also took place in Galway, was awarded the accolade of ‘Best Cultural Event’ at the Event Industry Awards, and was described by judges as ‘a great celebration of Ireland’s maritime heritage.’
As an island nation, our ocean is an incredible natural resource, and this maritime festival celebrates and showcases the many ways our seas and oceans enrich our lives.
The three day festival combines a host of entertaining and educational activities on and around the water, all free to visitors.
From tours of ocean-going vessels, inspiring talks and interactive educational activities, celebrity chefs and free sailing, the festival offered a host of fun, free activities for all ages.
“We are delighted and honoured that SeaFest has been nominated for two awards at this year’s Event industry Awards alongside some of Ireland’s most outstanding events,” said Sinéad Coyne, Communications Manager for the Marine Institute and the festival.
She added that despite being a “relatively new festival” it is already regarded as “one of the biggest and most successful events of its kind in Europe.”
“The festival has witnessed phenomenal growth in a short number of years, having grown from 10,000 visitors in its first showing in 2015, to attracting over 100,000 in 2017 and 2018.”
The winners for the Event Industry Awards 2019 will be announced on Friday 19th July at Citywest Hotel.
This year, after a long stretch in Galway, SeaFest 2019 set sail for southern waters and was held in the Port of Cork in Cork City from June 7 – 9 with over 100 free events.
The festival included a performance from world-famous tightrope walker Christopher Bullzini, seafood cookery demonstrations from celebrity chefs, vessel tours, Defence Force displays, sailing and kayaking trips, and talks from wildlife cameraman Doug Allan.
Cork will also play host to the next two SeaFest events in 2020 and 2021.
photo credit: Andrew Downes/xposure/Marine Institute
