Going out: something for the weekend

Festivals galore in the glorious sunshine

The Galway Arts Festival, Galway

The Galway Arts festival began on Monday and continues until July 28th. As usual it will showcase a variety of Irish and international artists, but tickets are selling out so log on to the website, check out the programme and book in advance. Galway is at its energetic best during the summer festival season and with good weather on the horizon the town will surely sparkle this weekend. When the sun is shining there is no where better.

www.galwayartsfestival.com/

The Street Performance World Championship, Cork City

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The Street Performance World Championship comes to Cork city tomorrow. St Patrick’s Street will host an array of international street performers, family workshops, human statues, musicians, face painters, balloon modellers and food stalls. Organisers say “every nook and cranny of the festival sites will be bursting with the spontaneous, the wacky and the amazing. Prepare to be flabbergasted!” And it’s free.

www.spwc.ie

The Fiddler’s Green international Festival, Rostrevor, Co. Down

On the go for almost three decades the Fiddler’s Green festival this year has up to 200 events, catering for “music fanatics, families, and those who want to soak up the scenery, the friendliness and the outdoor music.” The week-long festival kicks off tomorrow and features act such as Sharon Shannon and Beoga.

Tickets are available on the website at www.fiddlersgreenfestival.co.uk

Longitude Festival, Marley Park, Dublin

Four stages will cater for over 50 acts at this weekend’s Longitude festival. Tickets are still available but are expected to sell out. Kodaline, Phoenix, Kraftwerk, and Vampire Weekend are all playing. Organisers say the site layout for this year’s festival is different from previous gigs in Marley Park. The three smaller stages are located within a smaller radius which should make it easier for punters to find where they’re going.

For more information go to www.longitude.ie

Féile bia na Mara, Achill Island, Co Mayo

The “bountiful harvest of the Atlantic Ocean” will be celebrated at this seafood festival on Achill Island which runs throughout the weekend. Events taking place over the weekend will be Achill RNLI and Coastguard sea safety exercise; Achill fish market; seaweed safaris; coastal walks; a family sandcastle building competition; and cookery demonstrations.

Tickets and information are available at www.feilenamara.com

Bray Air Display, Bray, Co Wicklow

The sky above Bray will be filled with all manner of aircraft this Sunday when Ireland’s largest free airshow takes place. Last year the event attracted 80,000 spectators and similar numbers are expected to turn out this year to gawp at the RV8tors aerobatic display team, the Black Knights Defence Forces Parachute Team, and Gerry Humphreys’ homebuilt mini-jet. The display begins at 3.00pm and visitors have been encouraged to travel on public transport to avoid traffic congestion.

www.brayairdisplay.com

Cloughjordan Ecovillage Experience Day, Cloughjordan, Co. Tipperary

The “rich taste of sustainable living” is on offer this Saturday at the Cloughjordan Ecovillage. Organisers invite visitors to “explore the possibilities and issues involved in localising most of the food systems for individuals and communities in Cloughjordan Ecovillage, Ireland’s leading eco neighbourhood”. Tickets for the day are €70, for which you’ll get a run down of the ways to “produce a whole diet locally and resiliently”.

Bookings are taken at www.thevillage.ie

Fleadh Cheoil na Mumhan, University of Limerick, Castletroy, Co Limerick

Fleadh Cheoil na Mumhan 2013, the largest Provincial Fleadh in Ireland, Britain and United States, draws to an end this Sunday. The University of Limerick has been hosting the event since Monday and there’s a selection of selection of outdoor and indoor concerts, céilithe, workshops, competitions, and street sessions to enjoy over the weekend.

Full programme and other information at www.munsterfleadh.ie

Dan Griffin

Dan Griffin

Dan Griffin is an Irish Times journalist