Event: Ireland

Galway Arts Festival

When:	14 - 27 Jul 2008 (annual)
Where:	Galway City

Galway City plays host to the Republic of Ireland's leading arts festival, the Galway Arts Festival. Highlights in 2008 include performances by Blondie, Tom Baxter & KT Tunstall, The Dandy Warhols & Ash, and Omara Portuondo.

First held in 1978, the festival features two weeks of spectacular dancing, street performance, music, visual arts, literary and children's events, fine art exhibitions and a film festival.

Regarded by many as Ireland's premier summer festival, the event has garnered worldwide fame and now attracts a staggering 170,000 visitors each year, breathing new life into Ireland's third largest city.

The annual programme usually includes performances by acclaimed actors, writers and musicians. Past visitors have included the likes of Colm Tóibin, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Bob Geldof, David Byrne, the Undertones and the Saw Doctors.

For more information and the latest updates on this year's programme, please visit the festival website.