Westival (Westport Music and Arts Festival) is delighted to announce its programme of events running from Wednesday 24 to Monday 29 October, incorporating the Halloween Bank Holiday Weekend.

Westival takes pride in being an Autumnal-Halloween-festival of comfort, many of the events take place during the long evenings, around open hearths of softly-lit rooms, or during dusk where the imagination can play part in interpreting the world with magic and intrigue.

“We have so many events, exhibitions and performances to be enjoyed, the six days of Westival will be bursting at the seams with entertainment.

“Whether you find yourself by a fireside session in a pub or outside for one of our many free street spectacles, you are sure to be filled with the charm, the creativity and the ‘craic’ of this magical time of year. We encourage people to visit the website and get booking!” Conor Wilson, Westival Director.

The full run-down of the programme including times, venues and ticket prices are available at www.westival.ie, but here is a flavour of what is on offer:

Music

International and homegrown talent will be making their way to Westport to take part and entertain audiences, featuring performances from international and home-grown talents including Lisa Hannigan, Gilbert O’Sullivan, Pete Williams from Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Tom Hickox, Daithi + Elaine Mai and Le Galaxie with MayKay fresh from her presenting duties from Other Voices, Ballina. The music line-up also includes an incredibly special launch of ‘ Back to the Island’ Matt Molloy’s first album release in 25 years, this once-in-a-lifetime event is one of the jewels in the Westival programming crown.

Theatre

A very special curation of theatre events will also take place as part of Westival including, An Evening with Pat McCabe – one of Ireland’s best-loved and Booker-Prize nominated writers, author of ‘The Butcher Boy’, Breakfast on Pluto and Winterwood. The highly acclaimed Dublin Fringe Festival GAA MAAAD, which explores Irish culture and identity through art and GAA is part of the theatrical line-up along with, Shadows of The Táin “ Atmospheric, evocative, and lyrically beautiful; audiences will hear this ancient story as it has never been told before ” – RTE Culture Night.

Co Mayo, for many, is the place where days of youth were spent brushing up on the ‘cupla focail’, relive the memories with the Pop-Up Gaeltacht with Aindrias De Staic in Matt Molloy’s. Fear an tí Aindrias, will guide guests through the damhsa, described in The Scotsman as “a wild-eyed shock of Celtic unpredictability”, you can be guaranteed there won’t be a dull moment nuair atá de Staic sa teach! And remember níl céad Béarla a labhairt!

Visual Arts

The festival’s impressive Visual Arts Programme is curated under the theme of IDENTITY and the demonstration of it will be evident throughout the entire visual arts experience of Westival. At the forefront of this visual-arts programme is ‘Ipseity’ featuring selected work from acclaimed artists Alice Maher, Breda Burns, Emma Bourke, Janet Mullarney, Katherine Boucher Beug and Stevey Scullion , running daily in The Westival Gallery, Castlebar St (700 sqm gallery housed in an old Dunnes Stores Building). The exhibition sets out to explore the role of the self in today’s society; how we view ourselves and how we are viewed by others, and how this can affect and mould the nature of being.

Other art events in the festival include works from formidable talents such as Jason Goodman and HY Brasil, who’s 3D light sculpture, consists of a three-dimensional steel and LED field/array and stereo audio in which the audience can walk through and immerse themselves in the moving light and soundscape. This incredible free art experience will run at The Green at The Quay at Dawn and at Dusk every day of the festival.

Family Events

Over the six days of events, there are MANY family-friendly shows including the interactive Time Travel Tours Walkabout present a story of Shipwreck & Adventure in16th Century Ireland, departing from The Clock on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28.

A highly-lauded all-ages event deemed as ” Spectacular ” by the Cork Independent, Inferno presents an intense blazing experience that creates art with fire accompanied by pyrotechnics and mesmerizing circus skills performing on The Octagon Friday 26 and Saturday 27.

Halloween celebrations wouldn’t be the same without a Halloween ball, and Westival’s offering is an out-of-this-world secret event! May we present the Gráinne-Alien Ball, where you’ll be welcomed into Galactica Gráinne, a secret planet whose location will be revealed to ticket-holders just before the event!

The full Westival Programme of events is available www.westival.ie – tickets can also be purchased through the site.

GCN and the good folks at Westival are giving you the chance to win a two weekend passes to Westival. To be in with a chance of winning, just answer the following question:

This competition has now closed and winners have been informed by email. Check gcn.ie/competitions for the latest.