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Cork Festivals of Art |
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Arts Festivals 2008Cork has long been established as a Festival City, which was particularly notable when 700,000 flocked to see the prestigious Tall Ships Race, which the city hosted in 1991. The 1996 Naval Review and Maritime Festival were also very successful and in 1998 the Tour de France attracted thousands of visitors during its journey through Cork. The biggest annual festivals are the Cork Jazz Festival, the St Patrick’s Day Festival and the Midsummer Arts Festival. |
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Cork Jazz Festival (24 October – 27 October) Founded in 1977, the annual Cork Jazz Festival has become one of the biggest and most popular Jazz Festivals in Europe. It attracts 40,000 visitors and over 1,000 performing artists every year. It takes place over the October bank holiday weekend. Over the years the Festival has attracted some prestigious international jazz artists including Ella Fitzgerald, Chick Corea, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Oscar Peterson, Buddy Rich and Sonny Rollins. Confirmed for the 2008 line up to date are The Yellow Jackets, David Murray Black Saint Quartet, the Cindy Blackman Quartet and the Liane Carroll Trio. The Cork Jazz Festival takes place in multiple venues across the city, including the Metropole Hotel, Cork Opera House, Everyman Palace Theatre and the Savoy Theatre. Tickets for the 2008 festival will go on sale through the official website from September 1st. |
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St Patrick’s Day Festival (2008: March 17) The St Patrick's Day Festival takes place every year on March 17th and involves hundreds of volunteers in a colourful fancy-dress street parade. The parade starts at the top of the South Mall and ends on Merchants Quay. The theme for the 2008 parade was Monster of the Marsh, so monsters marched with jugglers, gospel singers, Irish dancers, clowns and brass bands. There are also fringe events including exhibitions, street performers, traditional music and food markets. |
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Midsummer Arts Festival (2008: 15 June – 15 July) One of the fastest growing arts festivals in Ireland, the 2-week long Midsummer Arts Festival ensures Cork explodes into life during the summer. It includes a wide range of performances in the visual arts, theatre, dance and music. All sorts of venues burst into artistic life including nightclubs, cathedrals, parks, factories, theatres and private houses. The Lord Mayor’s Picnic in the Park is a particularly popular family day out. Many performances are free, but tickets for paying events can be booked through the official website. Visual Arts LadyFest (25 April - 27 April) Ladyfest Cork is a community-based festival, which encourages the artistic talent of women. The 2008 program includes an exhibition by female artists at the old ESB Building on Caroline Street, covering photography, print, paintings, graphic designs and video/sound installations. There are also workshops including DJing for beginners, tribal belly dancing, Hatha Yoga and music performed by female artists. Tickets are available on the door or through ticketmaster.ie. Kinsale Art Week (12 July - 20 July) Kinsale bursts into life during Art Week with a full program of events that includes the visual arts, theatre, music, film, dance, literature, architecture and family entertainment. A grand fireworks display and concert marks the opening night after which the whole community becomes one big performance space – shops display paintings by local artists in their windows and churches, harbours and boats become set pieces in public performances. Youghal Visual Arts Festival (14 July - 22 July) In it’s third year, the festival mainly revolves around a central exhibition in the Mall Arts Centre and a ‘Walking’ Gallery in the town (where shops display paintings by local and international artists in their windows). There are also artist-led workshops and seminars, which are open to the public and provide an opportunity for artists to network. Arttrail (October) The Arttrail offers an opportunity for professional local and international artists to showcase their works to the public. A 4-day event, organisers put together a program of visual art exhibitions, open galleries, performances, workshops, discussions and seminars in and around Cork City. All events are open to the public. The Arttrail recently introduced awards for Best Emerging Artists. The 2008 date is yet to be confirmed, but it should be some time in October. Most events are free. Cork Art Fest (November) Established in 1993, Cork Arts Fest presents a range of cultural events across the city for one week in November. The Cork Institute of Technology, which encompasses the Cork Regional Technical College, the Crawford College of Art & Design and the Cork School of Music, organises the festival. It includes the Crawford College’s Graduate show at the Crawford Gallery, along with other visual art exhibitions, concerts, talks and seminars. All events are open to the public. The 2008 date is yet to be confirmed, but it should be some time in November. |
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Music Cork has a long tradition of association with music, which is particularly apparent at The Cork School of Music (CSM), which has gained an international reputation for producing many award winning bands, choirs, opera groups and chamber music ensembles. Many senior pupils undertake national and international tours and have made commercial recordings. In addition to the Cork Jazz Festival, there are a number of important music festivals that take place annually in the city, which are: International Choral Festival (30 April – 4 May) The Cork International Choral Festival takes place annually, and has done so since 1954. It has gained a reputation as one of the world’s top choral festivals and is noted for both its amateur national and international choirs. It attracts up to 5,000 participants. Choirs travel from all over the world to compete in gala concerts for the coveted Fleischmann International Trophy. Additionally the festival features up to 100 local adult, youth and school choirs who compete for national titles. Tickets for the concerts can be purchased through the Cork Opera House. Folk Festival (11 September – 14 September) The Cork Folk Festival is another annual popular event and takes place the first weekend of September. Running since 1979, it includes live folk music with special emphasis on songs and dance from the Cork/Kerry region. Events take place all over the city including the Metropole Hotel, St Finbarr’s Cathedral and Crane Lane Theatre. There are also master classes in set dancing, flute and fiddle playing. The Festival has also become known as the 'Friendly Festival'. Information on booking will be available on the official website. Theatre The Cork Opera House on Emmett Place is the largest venue for performing arts in the region with a 1,000 seating capacity. It hosts a wide range of events including operas, ballets, musical acts, comedies and plays. Additionally, the Opera House has acquired a beautiful collection of art from Cork’s eminent and emerging artists and this collection can be seen hanging on the walls of the house. There are a number of other smaller theatres in Cork, including: The Everyman Palace Theatre (Mac Curtain Street), which is also a training venue, The Half Moon Theatre (rear of the Cork Opera House), The Granary Theatre (Mardyke), The Cork Arts Theatre Club (Carroll's Quay), Firkin Crane (Shandon), The Savoy Theatre (Patrick Street) and The Triskel Arts Centre (South Main Street). The Comedy Club (Mac Curtain Street) is also popular and has attracted well-known local and international comedians. Film Like any city, Cork has many cinemas including the Gate Multiplex, Cork Ominplex and The Reel Picture. Or if you are interested in foreign or Arthouse movies, The Kino on Washington Street is the place to go. Cork International Film Festival (12 October – 19 October) Once a year, the Cork International Film Festival takes place featuring films, documentaries, short films, animations and experimental work from local and international directors. The programme covers an eclectic mix of big budget pictures, world cinema and innovative independent films. Established in 1956, the festival has enjoyed a steady growth in numbers of admissions and media coverage over the years. Venues include the Cork Opera House, The Kino Cinema, Triskel Arts Centre and the Gate Multiplex. Tickets available on the official website. Cork French Film Festival (2008: 28 February – 7 March) The Cork French Film Festival was established in 1989 and takes place towards the end of February. The Festival presents a variety of European co-productions films in French but also in English, Spanish, Flemish, Russian and Arabic. It includes feature length movies, short films, cult classics and documentaries. There is usually an opening party, with live music, attended by the French ambassador. The Festival takes place at the Triskel Art Centre and the Gate Cinema. Booking enquiries handled through the official website. |
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A wide range of artistic and cultural events are planned for 2008 in Cork, from fine art exhibitions, theatre, opera, music and Festivals. This calendar gives an outline of the main events. APRIL 17 April 18 April 25 April
- 27 April 30 April
- 4 May April - June
22 April 4 -
31 April April 23
- 26 April April and
ongoing MAY 13 May -
17 May JUNE 15 June -
5 July 18 June -
19 June 20 June 21 June 29 June 30 June |
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JULY 1 July 12 July -
20 July 14 July -
22 July 25 July -
4 October SEPTEMBER 26 September
- 28 September 11 September
- 14 September OCTOBER 12 October
- 19 October 24 October
- 27 October 25 October
- 14 February Cork Art
Trail (Date to be confirmed) NOVEMBER 4 November 5 November
6 November
Cork Arts Fest (Date to be confirmed) |
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• For more information about painting and sculpture in Munster, see: Visual Arts Cork: Guide to Irish Art. • How to Update This Mini Review of Cork's Art Festivals. © visual-arts-cork.com 2008 All rights reserved. |
