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The Galway Quilting Festival is not like other foreign quilting festivals, where attendees can easily get lost in the expanse of a huge convention centre. This event has the distinction of being held in a custom built Quilter’s Village, along the River Corrib. This creates a much more intimate experience, where one can wander among Quilter’s Market’s various stalls and workshops without being disoriented by the scale of the operation. A variety of native handicrafts, bread and cakes, chocolates and confectionery are on sale, while a Casa Escuela offers lessons and a Quilter’s Cantina are also available.
Every July, for six days, directors, actors and anyone else who works with or is interested in films come to Galway. Why? This is when the Galway Film Fleadh takes place. This is a festival for movie lovers, regardless of their nationality, culture or era. It is now almost a quarter of a century old, yet over the years the organizers have never deviated from their original goal; to reveal a wonderful mix of avant-garde, alternative and thought-provoking films to a grateful audience. Whether they are involved in the movie business or not doesn’t matter: movies are a shared interest and something they automatically have in common.
Every year the Galway Comedy Festival just keeps getting better, with a better selection of acts than ever before. In 2011, the itinerary was impressive; Notable comedians such as Dylan Moran, The Rubber Bandits, Ardal O’Hanlon and David O’Doherty, among many others, attended. However, the Galway Comedy Festival is a celebration of humor in all its forms; this is where comedies-dramas like The Faulty Towers Dining Experience and Who Needs Enemies II have also taken to the stage. The main goal of this event (besides making the audience crack up, of course) is to encourage up-and-coming talent as well as established acts, so even if one isn’t familiar with many of the names, there may be some hidden gems waiting to be discovered.
Every year during the month of September, Galway becomes a hub of gourmet delights when the Galway International Oyster and Seafood Festival comes to town. This is by far the most famous of the Irish food festivals, and the International Oyster Festival has been held for more consecutive years than any other. This is where the city’s best restaurants really get a chance to shine, along with the Food Village, which is a celebration of all manner of edible delights. This is when the National and World Oyster Opening Championships take place, along with a colorful parade. At the Festival Finale, there are events for the whole family, while children can dress up, music lovers can enjoy live bands, and people who enjoy cooking can attend demonstrations.
From June 30 to July 8, 2012 there will be a 10-day party in Galway, with a series of celebratory events as the Volvo Ocean Race Festival graces the city with its presence. Up to 12 boats are expected to sail to Galway docks from Lorient during the penultimate leg of the race. It is conservatively estimated that the city’s population will temporarily increase by at least 40,000 people when they come to witness the conclusion of the Volvo Round the World Ocean Race. The last leg will be a race that will circumnavigate the Irish coast and is scheduled to last three days. It will conclude in Galway Bay, with an In-Port regatta and a closing ceremony.