Introduction
A VIBRANT WEEK OF VISUAL ART, LIVE PERFORMANCE, AND CREATIVE CONNECTION
The 45th edition of Carlow Arts Festival provides a carefully curated, wonderfully eclectic, multi-disciplinary arts programme. Comprising of local, national and international artists, the festival presents work from a wide array of art forms including dance, literature, circus, spectacle, music, theatre, cinema, and visual arts.
It is without doubt that Carlow Arts Festival (formerly Éigse Carlow Arts Festival from 1979-2013), contributes to the spirit of Carlow Town and amplifies the county’s diverse voice. It is a voice that carries loud and clear, with artistry and passion, the human qualities and attributes of a county with a distinctive and creative social identity.
OF, BY AND WITH CARLOW, FOR EVERYONE
Our place is Carlow, and Carlow Arts Festival is one of a kind where artists also become spectators and spectators share their thoughts, join discussions, and maybe even play an active part in a performance. At VISUAL, in the grounds of Carlow College St. Patrick's, in the O’Hara’s Big Top, at Carlow Town Park, and on the streets of the town itself, the programme bursts with an array of striking and memorable images and emotions. All brought together by established and emerging professional artists from Carlow, Kilkenny, Galway, Dublin, London, Edinburgh, Paris, Barcelona and Cueno – presenting a multiplicity of voices and perspectives.
The festival is delivered each year by a small, dynamic, and committed team, and we are incredibly grateful for the crucial and ongoing support of our funders, artists,
sponsors, audiences, participants, and volunteers. Since 1979 it has taken hundreds, if not thousands, of art lovers and community champions to keep the festival going. Thank you to everyone who has been, is, and will be involved in the festival. We couldn’t do it without you.
GET INSPIRED
We hope the festival is a chance to relax, to discover, and to celebrate being together. We invite you to explore and discover, and find your very own and favourite festival experience through a multitude of events and activities. The festival this year includes a promenade theatre performance created in collaboration with the community; a showcase for the wonderful musical talent the county has to offer; a special evening of Irish stories told through words, sounds and music; a collage of juggling with sticks, balls, peacock feathers, ice creams and origami papers; one of the most exciting young rock bands to emerge in Ireland; and much more.
The Festival Team
