GIAF sees Dragons & Disco take to the Streets of Galway

Galway International Arts Festival take to the streets this July, so keep an eye out for artistic encounters around every corner.

In one of the biggest structures the festival has ever put on the streets, an enormous 30ft high Dragon will wander the streets as French Street Art Company Planète Vapeur bring their fantastic and magical world to Galway, while music lovers can again pop on their headphones for the hugely popular Silent Disco Walking Tour through the city centre.

Artistic Director and producer Pierre Povigna created Planète Vapeur in 2006. Having studied architecture, Povigna was always passionate about complex mechanisms and giant biomechanical machines. Working with an amazing team of technicians and artists, Gérard Artufel as designer, Françoise Povigna as costumer, Arlo Le Gwern as writer and director, Povigna and Planète Vapeur bring fantastic and magical worlds to life. Dive into their extraordinary world as this enormous Dragon wanders the streets of Galway.

Dragon - The Forgotten World takes place Friday 21 July at 9.30pm and Saturday 22 July at 2pm and 9.30pm. The Dragon will travel from Eyre Square to the Spanish Arch via Shop Street, O’Brien’s Bridge and Dominick St. Lower. GIAF is grateful to The King’s Head for its support of this production. Find out more here.

The Australian Guru Dudus, led by the inimitable Madame Cha Cha, return to Galway after their sold out Silent Disco Walking Tours in 2022 and 2019. These tour gurus become your charismatic guides on a ‘silent disco’ bop through Galway. Accompanied by hilarious commentary in your noise- cancelling headphones, your outrageously funny Australian motivator will lead you and your 49 fellow dancers through the streets from Eyre Square to the Spanish Arch and Galway’s west end. Loved by all who experience this exhilarating tour, it is an unmissable event, full of fun, lots of laughter and filled with Guru’s hand-selected mixtape of 70s, 80s and 90s hits.

Silent Disco Walking Tours 19–30 July 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 6.30pm & 8pm. No shows 24 & 25 July. Meeting point: Festival Garden. Find out more here.

GIAF is grateful to The Skeff Late Bar & Kitchen for its support of this production.

Photo of Dragon The Forgotten World by Adrian Rosati