Galway’s Local Food and Craft Gift Fair will return to the Black Box Theatre this month, for an extended six-day run. Breaking from its two-day tradition, the event will take place across six days, beginning on Thursday, November 27th, and continuing until Tuesday, December 2nd. Discover more here...
Organised annually by Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Galway, the Local Food and Craft Gift Fair will showcase the very best of the county’s artisan producers and is expected to attract up to 15,000 shoppers. The six-day fair will feature up to 60 stall holders and exhibitors, alongside some wonderful entertainers and attractions.
above: Gary Vaughan: Putting the ‘Galway’ into cider, Gary Vaughan from Galway Cider will bring his craft cider to this year’s Food and Craft Gift Fair in the Black Box Theatre.
The Black Box Theatre on Galway’s Dyke Road has played host to the Christmas shopping event since 2012, with the exception of a two-year hiatus due to Covid restrictions. The popularity, size and scale of the Fair has increased year-on-year, with the 2025 event attracting a substantial increase in applications from prospective traders. Due to unprecedented demand, the organisers have significantly lengthened this year’s festival, with more producers due to present their offerings than ever before.
Head of Enterprise at LEO Galway, Caroline McDonagh, said the event has long been a staple in Galway’s Christmas calendar. “For more than a decade, the Fair has been a hugely popular attraction, but this year, it feels like there’s an even greater emphasis among consumers about the importance of shopping locally and supporting domestic producers. In line with the demand, the quality seems to have hit an all-time high too. Visitors to the event are going to be blown away by the variety and calibre of what will be on offer across the six days,” she said.
above: Susan Meaney: Susan Meaney from Burren Flower Fairies will be among the exhibitors at this year’s Local Food and Craft Gift Fair in the Black Box Theatre.
Shoppers can expect to find an array of gift ideas from local artists, designers, jewellers, skincare trailblazers, and craftspeople, as well as tempting locally-made food and drinks from some of Galway’s best loved artisan producers. Outside the Black Box, there will be several food vendors with a broad range of tasty cuisines, ensuring guests can get everything they need for Christmas, and plenty of sustenance to keep the energy flowing.
above: John Tedders: John Tedders from Guru Tea House will be among the artisan food producers at the Local Food and Craft Gift Fair in the Black Box Theatre.
The doors to the 2025 event will open at 4.30pm on November 27th. The official opening will take place at 6pm, with Galway Bay FM broadcasting live from the event. Across the following five days, shoppers can access the Black Box from 10am daily, and there will be lots of great entertainment to keep all ages occupied.
“The 2025 Local Food and Craft Gift Fair presents an ideal opportunity for shoppers to pick up some really unique gifts and start ticking names off their Christmas shopping list. We will also have live music, performances from local choirs, a visit from the ever-popular Bernardo the Magician, and we’re hoping that the man of the moment – Santa Claus himself – will stop by to meet the children,” explained LEO Galway’s Caroline McDonagh.
With three weeks remaining until the 2025 event, there are likely to be more additions and announcements along the way. “We have a few more plans up our sleeves, including the provision of free bus services to the event from right across the county. We’re still finalising details, but we’re quietly confident that we’ll even take care of travel for many of our shoppers this year,” she added.
above: Rebecca O'Connor. Galway’s Rebecca O’Connor was frustrated by the lack of affordable, high-quality jewellery and in response, created Skye Jewellery. She will be exhibiting in The Black Box Theatre from November 27th to December 2nd.
All photos courtesy LEO Galway, by photographer Martina Regan.
Main image - Skye, MNE, Leah: Galway’s Rebecca O’Connor from Skye Jewellery, Meadhbh Ní Eidhin from MNE Fine Art, and illustrator Leah O’Grady, pictured at the launch of this year’s Local Food and Craft Gift Fair, which will run from November 27th to December 2nd in the Black Box Theatre.
