Beginning in the farthest reaches of Galway on St Brigid’s Day, fiery celebrations will erupt in towns and villages across the county in keeping with the ancient traditions of the Irish Celtic calendar of Imbolc, Bealtaine, Lughnasa and Samhain, 

Following a ceremonial turf cutting on the 1st February to mark St Brigid’s Day, the ceremony will travel across the county from the 2nd to the 7th February encompassing An Spidéal, Tuam, Ballinasloe, Clifden, Portumna and Athenry, before a final installment at South Park in Galway City on the 8th February 2020.

Fire Tour Dates
Clifden - 2nd February
An Spidéal - 3rd February
Tuam - 4th February
Ballinasloe - 5th February
Portumna - 6th February
Athenry - 7th February

The Athenry Fire Tour event commences in the community park at 6:00pm and everyone is welcome to experience this special celebration to mark Galway as the European Capital of Culture 2020. 

Opening Ceremony 8th February 2020

Taking place in the open air and marking the passing of winter darkness, this will be an Opening Ceremony with a difference. Expect a cacophony of sound and vision as all of Galway comes together in this very special moment to celebrate the blossoming of an extraordinary new year. Everyone is invited to take part in making this an Opening Ceremony to remember. Produced by the world-class masters of global ceremonies, Wonder Works, and paying tribute to our stories past and present, Galway’s Opening Ceremony as European Capital of Culture 2020 will be a unique celebration of this place, its traditions and its future, as we become for 12 months Ireland’s centre at the heart of Europe.

 The planting begins – good things come to those who prepare, work and wait.

Rooted in the Irish i mbolg (in the belly), the budding season of Imbolc gives a taste of all to come. January concerts will warm up crowds for February’s incredible Opening Ceremony, as Wonder Works prepare to spark a fiery, festive launch.

Imbolc offers fruitful activities and epic sights, as Kari Kola’s Savage Beauty illuminates the Connemara landscape and Druid Theatre’s Galway Tour begins an intimate exploration of great Irish writing and the hidden towns and islands of the county.

Full details of events during the months of February-April can be view at galway2020.ie