The Carnival of Collective Joy 2023
A celebration of the creative imagination of school children across County Carlow.
The Carnival of Collective Joy returns to the festival in 2023.
Carlow Arts Festival and our project partner VISUAL are once again working with young people from local schools to design and deliver Carlow Arts Festival's centrepiece carnival which will parade through the streets of Carlow on Saturday 10th June, for Cruinniú na nÓg.
This year, we're collaborating with pupils and staff at St Joseph's NS, Hacketstown, St.Fiacc’s N.S.Graiguecullen, Scoil Mhuire N.S., Tullow, and St. Patrick’s N.S. Rathvilly.
Over the last few months, the children have been busily creating a spectacle of wild and wonderful creatures, guided by the carnival's Creative Director Selene Murphy and Assistant Creative Director Susanne Kennedy Horsch, with support from Music Generation.
“Carnival is something people create and generate for themselves”
Supported by the Bank of Ireland Begin Together Arts Fund in partnership with Business to Arts.


