In anticipation up to the Galway Arts Festival 2010, I thought it would be nice to publish some of the images from previous festivals. No better place to start than 2006, a year whose programme was stellar, across the board.
It was the height of the boom time days and the Arts Festival budget was flush from government grants and corporate sponsorships. It provided a challenge to allocating the entertainment budget, and organizing yourself logistically, as each of the fourteen nights of the festival was chock full of action.
As if all this official entertainment wasn’t enough, a faction of Galway artists launched a protest festival. Feeling the Galway Arts Festival had abandoned its local roots, Project ‘06 was launched. The ad hoc festival was sprawling and ambitious in nature, showcasing a spasm of impressive local artistry. They made their point with brilliant, fiery affect. Sadly such efforts had little affect on Festival organizers, who gave them little more than a polite listen. Subsequent years programming continued emphasizing more expensive, non-indigenous talent.
The Big Top was featured such acts as David Gray, Bell X1, Simple Minds and Rodrigo Y Gabriella. Galway Arts Festival 2006 also provided one of the most memorable years for street theatre, with five separate performances, providing that extra spark of kinetic energy on the streets of Galway that makes the town so magical during the Arts Festival.
