GALWAY, UNVEILS THE PROGRAM

Galway, Cultural Capital of Europe 2020, unveils its program for the coming year and its central themes: landscape, language and migration.
The Irish city has developed more than 100 partnerships with 33 countries.
The program of the year is articulated between music, theater, literature, visual arts, dance, cinema, architecture, heritage, sport and gastronomy.
The majority of projects are available for free.

Official launch of Galway 2020

Galway 2020, Cultural Capital of Europe - and its program that covers the four seasons until January 2021 - will begin on Saturday, February 1, 2020 with a festival of fires; inspired by the Irish tradition that marks the beginning of each new season with a fire.
The opening day will last one week and will take place in six towns and villages in County Galway, culminating in a spectacular opening ceremony in the city of Galway on Saturday, February 8, 2020.

On February 1, Imbolc is traditionally celebrated, an ancient pagan festival dedicated to women and fertility, celebrating the first day of spring in the Celtic calendar.
It reflects the entangled roots of Irish cultural history, between pagan and Gaelic traditions.
It is also called St Brigid's Day, a tribute to Ireland's most important saint.

Helen Marriage, director of Galway 2020:
"Galway, with its landscapes and ancient stories, its different peoples and its many languages, is an extraordinary place where artists have always been at the forefront.
It is a privilege for us to play a role in organizing this unique celebration of Irish culture, given its importance in a European and global context.
Galway 2020, European Capital of Culture, was built thanks to the efforts of creative people who have chosen to live and work here for 40 years. "

Belgian contribution to Galway 2020

In August 2020, Wires Crossed, a four-day circus festival, will transform the streets of Galway with world-class performances and workshops, culminating in the highwire performance over the Corrib River.
This 33 hour show takes the audience on an initiatory journey from darkness to light, with an extraordinary message of hope, solidarity and power.
The Circus School of Brussels is one of the partners of Wires Crossed.
https://galway2020.ie/en/projects/wires-crossed-3/

In addition, the Belgian company CREW cooperates with the Immersive Classroom.
In a series of collaborative projects, training and experiences, youth, educators and the general public are engaged in critical debates about how we view space.
Immersive Classroom examines teaching and learning approaches through immersive technologies and pedagogical engagement.
https://galway2020.ie/en/projects/immersive-classroom-2/

The Eclipse Collective Studio, also Belgian, participates in a duet of dance and visual theater. "One Sink Two Float" will be presented in the Claddagh Basin on May 24th.
https://galway2020.ie/en/projects/fresh-street3/

Some highlights of Galway 2020:

• The Connemara Mountains will be illuminated in green by Finnish lighting artist Kari Kola to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with the biggest light show ever organized.
• The Druid Theater will present Ireland's greatest plays of the twentieth century in towns and villages in the province of Galway.
• The American artist, David Best, known thanks to Burning Man, will create an imposing new work with the help of the young people of Derry and Galway.
• Giant Mirror Pavilion by Irish artist John Gerrard will settle in the Connemara Swamp, which is more than 4000 years old.
• A dramatic new interpretation of the literary epic Gilgamesh by Galway Macnas master writers, written by Marina Carr and created by Julian Crouch. • Margaret Atwood to participate in International Women's Day celebrations
• Homer's Odyssey will be presented during a tour of the Galway beaches.
• Galway joins Boston, Belfast and Nashville to stage transatlantic country, blues, gospel, folk and bluegrass stars.
• 16 European partners join Galway to inspire young European filmmakers.

About Galway

Located on the west coast of Ireland, on the outskirts of Europe, the Galway landscape is considered one of the most outstanding natural spaces in the world.
Wild, rugged and located on the Atlantic coast, Galway offers breathtaking views and is renowned for its rich cultural and historical heritage, as well as for its incomparable and vibrant atmosphere.

The famous Galway landscape includes the Connemara Mountains, with a wide variety of natural and semi-natural habitats of great geological complexity.
Extensive steatite deposits, green marble veins and white quartz have been discovered in this area.
The landscape also includes hundreds of irregularly shaped lakes in the ancient peatlands that form the surrounding lands.
The coastline is dotted with off-shore islands, including the Aran Islands, a major tourist attraction.