For 40 years, Macnas has transformed streets into stages, communities into creators and audiences into believers in magic. Now, the Galway-based spectacle arts company is preparing to celebrate its remarkable legacy while investing in an ambitious vision for the future. Find out how you can be part of it...
Founded in Galway in August 1986, Macnas has grown from its roots in the West of Ireland into one of the world’s leading spectacle arts companies. From Galway to Japan, India, China, Australia and San Francisco, and from the MTV Awards and U2’s Zooropa Tour to Hull UK City of Culture and SXSW in Austin, Macnas has demonstrated that extraordinary art can come from a small place and inspire audiences around the world.
As Macnas approaches its 40th anniversary, which will be marked from August 2026 to August 2027, the organisation is not simply celebrating its past. Macnas 40 is an investment in the future of spectacle arts, community participation and cultural life in Galway and beyond.
The Vision
Macnas 40 is not intended as a retrospective. Instead, it represents a declaration of intent for the organisation’s next 40 years. Over four decades, Macnas has played a significant role in Ireland’s cultural landscape, pioneering spectacle arts, nurturing generations of artists and demonstrating how world-class public art can be created in and for communities. Giant puppets, fire, music and community parades have become synonymous with Macnas, with the company’s distinctive approach continuing to inspire artists and companies across Ireland and internationally.
In 2026 and 2027, Macnas will build on that legacy with bold new work, deeper community roots and a continued commitment to spectacular public art that is free, ambitious and made for everyone.
Why It Matters
Galway is changing rapidly, with nearly one quarter of the city’s population new to Galway. This presents an important opportunity to strengthen connection, participation and a shared sense of cultural identity. For four decades, Macnas has brought people together in public spaces through transformative spectacle, participation and collective creativity.
The Macnas 40 anniversary programme aims to further position Galway as a European centre for spectacle arts, a leader in climate-conscious cultural production, and a city that invests in inclusion, imagination and civic pride.
Macnas 40 Programme Highlights
1. Reimagined Halloween Parade 2026 - A bigger, bolder, higher, longer and more ambitious Halloween Parade than ever before.
2. One of Macnas’ Tallest Ever Puppets - The creation of one of the largest puppets in the company’s 40-year history.
3. New Large-Scale Outdoor Spectacle - A major new outdoor production in early 2027, featuring giant puppetry, a fire installation, community choir participation and climate-focused artistic themes.
4. Macnas 40 Year Exhibition - A major retrospective exhibition celebrating four decades of spectacle-making, community participation and artistic innovation.
5. International Symposium - A gathering of artists, academics, civic leaders and cultural thinkers exploring the future of public spectacle and socially engaged art.
6. Public Participation and Artist Development - Expanded programmes engaging approximately 1,300 participants, including young people, emerging artists, choirs, drummers, performers and diverse communities across Galway.
What Macnas Delivers
Visibility: A high-profile, city-wide programme with strong national and international visibility.
Audience Reach: Live audiences of approximately 70,000 in Galway, 500,000 nationally and more than 1 billion digital impressions and engagements.
Legacy: Permanent civic artworks, skills development and long-term cultural infrastructure.
Social Impact: Participation programmes designed to increase access, inclusion and community connection.
Sustainability: A cultural programme rooted in environmental responsibility and future-focused artistic practice.
An Invitation to Partner with Macnas
As Macnas marks 40 years of creating extraordinary public art, the organisation is inviting businesses, organisations and potential partners to become part of its next chapter. Partnership with Macnas 40 offers an opportunity to support one of Ireland’s most distinctive cultural organisations while contributing to an ambitious programme that will bring artists, communities and audiences together across Galway and beyond. Macnas invites interested organisations to explore how they could become part of Macnas 40 and help shape the future of one of Ireland’s most iconic cultural organisations.
Find out more HERE.
Be part of something extraordinary – on the streets, on the stage and in the heart of Galway.
Cover photo by Ciarán MacChoncarraige.
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