Galway Named European Capital of Culture 2020

Galway, a port city on Ireland's west coast, will succeed Matera as European Capital of Culture in 2020. The year-long program begins February 1, 2020, with a free festival moving through six towns in County Galway, culminating in an Opening Ceremony on February 8. This date aligns with Imbolc, a pagan festival marking the first day of spring in the Celtic calendar, and St. Brigid's Day. Seasonal fire-themed events, curated by different artists or creative organizations, will mark each new season. The program spans music, theater, literature, visual arts, dance, film, architecture, traditions, sports, and gastronomy, mostly free. Highlights include a theatrical interpretation of Gilgamesh by Galway storytelling group Macnas, Margaret Atwood's participation in International Women's Day, an Odyssey tour on Galway beaches, performances by Druid Theatre in city and county villages, and a festival celebrating J.M. Synge, a key figure of the Irish Literary Revival. Helen Marriage, creative director of Galway 2020, stated that artists have always played a guiding role in Galway and that the program aims to be a year of radical thinking, inviting artists as 'prophets of the future' to help make sense of the world.