Music, dance, art and spectacle — Galway Arts Festival has it all
View festival prorgamme launch photo gallery
THIS year's Galway Arts Festival will feature six new theatre and opera world premiere productions, along with a programme of music, circus, dance, visual arts, comedy, street spectacle and talks over 14 days and nights from Monday July 13 to Sunday July 26.
Highlights of the festival's schedule include a circus spectacular ‘Carnation’ from NoFit State. The show will be packed with skillful feats and heart-stopping moments, live music and incredible imagery.
The programme also features the Irish premiere of Stephanie Lake’s ‘Colossus’, where 50 dancers move as one in a visually stunning production. Pony Cam’s ‘Burnout Paradise’ is a high-octane theatrical production combining endurance, comedy and performance in a breathless race against time.
“In a programme shaped by ambition, curiosity and collaboration, artists from Ireland and around the world present work that is bold, imaginative and alive to the moment,” said Paul Fahy, Artistic Director at Galway International Arts Festival (GIAF).
The Irish works making their way into the festival include ‘Testament’, which is a new opera from the Irish National Opera with music by Tarik O’Regan and a libretto by Colm Tóibín based on his acclaimed novella ‘The Testament of Mary’, as well as ‘Pádraicín’ by Brú Theatre, a promenade production which sees Galway become a moving stage.
New Irish work features will see several world premiere productions including Fishamble with Eva O’Connor’s ‘For Dolores’.
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John Walsh, Aishlin Hennigan, Aoife Carney, with John Crumlish CEO Galway International Arts Festival at the official programme launch of the Galway International Arts Festival in O’Connells Bar, Eyre Square.The artists are just some of the creatives featuring in this year’s festival, which is sizing up for the summer with towering installations and colossal performances across a multidisciplinary programme of landmark works and creative firsts from 13-26 July 2026. See giaf.ie. Photo:Andrew Downes, xposureImage 2 of 10
Ben Donnelly and Aoife Flynn at the official programme launch of this year’s festival. The artists are just some of the creatives featuring in this year’s festival, which is sizing up for the summer with towering installations and colossal performances across a multidisciplinary programme of landmark works and creative firsts from 13-26 July 2026. See giaf.ie. Photo:Andrew Downes, xposureImage 3 of 10
Penelope McGovern, James Finan, Eoin McGrath, Monika Milligan (Electric Galway) at the official programme launch Galway International Arts Festival .The artists are just some of the creatives featuring in this year’s festival, which is sizing up for the summer with towering installations and colossal performances across a multidisciplinary programme of landmark works and creative firsts from 13-26 July 2026. See giaf.ie. Photo:Andrew Downes, xposureImage 4 of 10
07/05/2026 repro free: Patrick Lonergan, University of Galway and Lorna Farren also University of Galway and Paul Fahy, Galway International Arts Festival, (GIAF), at the official programme launch Galway International Arts Festival .The artists are just some of the creatives featuring in this year’s festival, which is sizing up for the summer with towering installations and colossal performances across a multidisciplinary programme of landmark works and creative firsts from 13-26 July 2026. See giaf.ie. Photo:Andrew Downes, xposureImage 5 of 10
Aisling O’Sullivan Headford and Fergus McGinn, Woodquay at the official programme launch Galway International Arts Festival . The artists are just some of the creatives featuring in this year’s festival, which is sizing up for the summer with towering installations and colossal performances across a multidisciplinary programme of landmark works and creative firsts from 13-26 July 2026. See giaf.ie. Photo:Andrew Downes, xposureImage 6 of 10
at the official programme launch of the Galway International Arts Festival.The artists are just some of the creatives featuring in this year’s festival, which is sizing up for the summer with towering installations and colossal performances across a multidisciplinary programme of landmark works and creative firsts from 13-26 July 2026. See giaf.ie. Photo:Andrew Downes, xposureImage 7 of 10
Julia McCarthy Charlotte Norton from Climeaction (Climate Action Partner to the Festival) at the official programme launch Galway International Arts Festival .The artists are just some of the creatives featuring in this year’s festival, which is sizing up for the summer with towering installations and colossal performances across a multidisciplinary programme of landmark works and creative firsts from 13-26 July 2026. See giaf.ie. Photo:Andrew Downes, xposureImage 8 of 10
Karne Jone Galmont Hotel and spa with Paul Fahy and John Crumlish GIAF at the official programme launch of the Galway International Arts Festival.The artists are just some of the creatives featuring in this year’s festival, which is sizing up for the summer with towering installations and colossal performances across a multidisciplinary programme of landmark works and creative firsts from 13-26 July 2026. See giaf.ie. Photo:Andrew Downes, xposureImage 9 of 10
Enna Ryan, Heineken, Galway International Arts Festival, Chief Executive John Crumlish, and John Molloy, Heineken, at the official programme launch of the Galway International Arts Festival. The artists are just some of the creatives featuring in this year’s festival, which is sizing up for the summer with towering installations and colossal performances across a multidisciplinary programme of landmark works and creative firsts from 13-26 July 2026. See giaf.ie. Photo:Andrew Downes, xposureImage 10 of 10
John Crumlish CEO GIAF with The One and Only Lelia Doolan and Paul Fahy, Artistic Director GIAF, at the official programme launch of the Galway International Arts Festival.The artists are just some of the creatives featuring in this year’s festival, which is sizing up for the summer with towering installations and colossal performances across a multidisciplinary programme of landmark works and creative firsts from 13-26 July 2026. See giaf.ie. Photo:Andrew Downes, xposureDance and interdisciplinary work also span intimate and large-scale encounters from ‘The Bookbinder’ by New Zealand’s Trick of the Light; ‘The Air Between Us’, an outdoor aerial duet by Chloe Loftus Dance; and Ireland’s ‘Human Geography’ by John Scott, a community-led project with Galway’s migrant communities.
The Saw Doctors sold out the Heineken Big Top at Fisheries Field in 2023 and 2024, and they will return to the venue on Friday July 24 for this year's Galway International Arts Festival. The festival's music programme has a mix of international and Irish artists including Patti Smith Quartet, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Kate Nash and The Flaming Lips.
“Festivals and events like this create memorable cultural experiences that encourage visitors from Ireland and overseas to discover all that we have to offer across the country,” said Ciara Sugrue, Head of Festivals and Events at Fáilte Ireland.
“Our investment in the Galway International Arts Festival strengthens Galway’s appeal as a must-visit destination within the region, while generating meaningful economic opportunities for local businesses and contributing to the sustainable growth of tourism in the Galway region."