Carlow Arts Festival, the first big cultural event of the Irish Summer returns this June.
From music to visual and performing arts, theatre, dance, spectacle, literature, and beyond, the festival is presented in the grounds of Carlow College from Wednesday, June 7th to Sunday, June 11th.
Below, Artistic Director Benjamin Perchet selects some highlights from this year’s programme.
Irish premieres
We are delighted to present Irish premieres of three works on stage at VISUAL, by artists that blur the boundaries between artforms. These artists are from Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Sardinia and Greece, and it’s our modest way of celebrating 50 years of European Union membership in 2023.
On Friday evening, using everyday objects such as umbrellas, plungers, and of course, coconut shells, MOS is a dance performance that evokes the sound effects made by expert foley artists for film and TV.
On Saturday, the electrifying show BodyBodyBodyBody is a journey to the edge of trance, rooted in the folk traditions of the Italian tarantella.
Then on Sunday, Sorry, But I Feel Slightly Disidentified... is a provocative performance piece that explores themes of race, gender and status.
Other highlights include Unqualified Design Studio’s Without Sin, a contemporary confessional for the modern sinner that cultivates a space for intimate conversations and 2023’s ARTWORKS in VISUAL, Remembering the Future, which features a complete exhibition of the Irish Names Project’s AIDS Memorial quilts.
Children and young people
The festival has a packed programme of family-friendly events including Bombinate Theatre's charming show for little ones Goodnight Egg and Wires, Strings & Other Things, an interactive performance that explores the art and mystery of how musicians compose and improvise.
Cruinniú na nÓg, Ireland's national day of free creativity for children and young people, coincides with the festival on Saturday and that afternoon, the second Carnival of Collective Joy, co-created with local children, will explode onto the streets of Carlow Town.
Music
The O'Hara's Quarter at Carlow College hosts some of Ireland's most acclaimed up-and-coming music artists, including the genre-defying Æ MAK on Friday, rising Irish hip-hop star Jafaris on Saturday, and folk singer and multi-instrumentalist John Francis Flynn on Sunday on the Main Stage. You can also catch the best music talent from across County Carlow on the O’Hara’s Live & Local Stage.
Community
The Carnival of Collective Joy is one of a number of projects from ASSEMBLY, our year-round arts participation and community engagement.
The exhibition at Carlow College, The Long and Short of It is the culmination of a year-long project developed with older community members, who created animated stories inspired by their community’s social histories.
Other ASSEMBLY events include Cycles: Spokes, a series of discussions about language and place, which includes a sean-nós workshop with the amazing Inni-K, and Roots Shop, a workshop space for playful creativity.
The Carlow Arts Festival takes place from Wed 7th – Sun. 11th June - find out more here.
